Joanna James
Mozambique is the foodie capital of the African continent and a secret that is known well by the rest of Africa even though the rest of the world may be unaware. While Mozambique cuisine isn't out amongst the top cuisines in the world yet, it soon will be and here are some recommended dishes to try.
You can find Prego Rolls all over Southern Africa as it is a popular dish. But even South Africans agree that if you want the best in Prego Rolls you have to go to Mozambique. What a prego roll is, in general, would be steak covered in a spicy Piri Piri sauce and served between a Pao which is a Portuguese bread. It is technically a burger with quite a lot of Portuguese influence as is most of the cuisine in Mozambique.
While most food in Mozambique is inspired by Portuguese colonial times, Matata is one of the only dishes that are not. It is a thick and hearty stew made of peanuts and clams with a flavour that you would not have had anywhere else. You will often find chopped pumpkin leaves in the stew which is to be eaten with white rice. This is a dish you can find all over the country from Mozambique beach hotels to the small food joints further inland.
Sandes de Queijo is also made using the Portuguese bread Pao. It is a very filling dish where the sandwich is covered in cheese instead of meat and grilled until the bread becomes crispy and the cheese melts around it. For a simple dish, it can be very filling. You can often find these all over Mozambique at food stalls and street stands.
There is just so much in the way of drinks that can be enjoyed in Mozambique so when you are staying locally at a hotel the likes of Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort be sure to ask after the local drinks menu. You can get all kinds of drinks made from fermented fruit such as the rather potent Pombe which is a combination of cassava, maize, cashew nut, mango and sugar cane. There's also plenty of beers, palm wine such as Sura that can be quite an acquired taste but is delicious once you get used to it. And that's only the alcohol ones.
A simple dish that is often not found in restaurants is Ncima. It is eaten on a daily basis in Mozambique's homes and is easy to make as it is basically, maize ground up and boiled in water until it becomes a very thick porridge. It is topped rather generously with a spicy meat dish. This is the kind of meal that is often eaten for breakfast as it is said to fill you up and give you plenty of energy to get through the morning. This is what hikers eat before they start out on their trek.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
