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 Hello, ladies and gents, this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

ZIMBABWEAN CUISINE

The cuisine of Zimbabwe is rooted in traditions of African cuisine but tempered by influences of having been a British colony. Thus, unlike the cuisine of its neighbors that bear strong influences of Portuguese cuisine in the liberal use of chili peppers, Zimbabwean cuisine is less heavy on chili peppers and spices and rather mild in flavor. The popularity of tea and bread is another nod to its history as a British colony. The Portuguese influence is seen in the use of peanuts or peanut butter as an ingredient in some of the main dishes.

Maize and corn remain staple grains supplanted by millet, sorghum, rice, and wheat. A quintessential Zimbabwean dish is sadza. Corn is pounded into flour known as mealie-meal. The mealie-meal is slowly cooked until it reaches a porridge like consistency known as sadza. 

A big communal bowl of sadza is had at almost every meal. Little amounts are scooped from the communal ball and rolled into balls with the right hand (the left is considered unclean. It serves as an edible utensil to dip/scoop up stews and vegetables. Bota is another porridge made with cornmeal, milk, peanut butter and occasionally jam.

Muboora is a traditional Zimbabwean stew made of pumpkin leaves that are thoroughly washed and then boiled with tomatoes, onions, salt, and soda bicarbonate. Mubaoora is served with sadza and a relish. A dash of cream, if available, is occasionally added to the dish. When peanut butter is stirred into the muboora it is known as muboora une dovi.

Dovi is a peanut stew made of okra and vegetables such as carrots and potatoes stewed in stock with crushed peanuts. Meat, either chicken, goat or lamb, if available, can be added. Dovi is served with sadza, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Mupunga unedovi is a one pot dish of long grain rice and peanut butter. When the rice is almost coked and has absorbed almost all the water that was boiled in, the peanut butter is swirled in and cooked a little longer until it is completely combined and creamy. Mupunga unedovi is usually served with meat.

Sun-drying and dehydrating food (think jerky) serves the purpose of preserving meats and seafood when there isn’t the possibility of refrigerating them. Kapenta are small freshwater fish found in Lake Tanganyika that are sundried and added to a stew of tomatoes, onions, and greens.

Mealie-meal is not just used to make food it is also used to make beverages like maheu. Naturally sour tasting, thick and creamy in consistency, maheu is sometimes sweetened with sugar. When fermented, it is an alcoholic beverage.

Mopane worms, that get their name from being found on the mopane tree, are a popular high-density source of protein. They are eaten fried, crispy like a snack, or added to stews.

Popular snacks are fried cakes, potato chips, popcorn, and dried fruit. Wild loquats, a yellow citric fruit known locally as Mazhanje, are a popular fruit eaten fresh, when in season, at the end of a meal.

Some taboos about food persist, while some have fallen out of favor. Eggs were thought to cause infertility in women and were to be avoided, a taboo less in practice these days. Those belonging to the Ndebele ethnicity avoid eating corn out of the season that it is harvested in. A lot of ethnic groups do not eat animals or plants that are on their family totem or that their family name is based/derived from.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking