Joanna James
Zambian foods are delicious, hearty and packed with earthy flavours of maize, cassava, lots of leafy vegetables, dried fish and occasionally bush meat. Sample the tastes of the continent by exploring the wide range of dishes Zambia has to offer.
Nshima is considered the staple meal of Zambians and a popular meal for almost all ethnic groups in the country. Nshima is prepared from finely beaten maize flour named mealie meal and is made by blending the maize with boiling water to form an extremely dense porridge. It is eaten with a type of side dish called ndiwo, fish and a few vegetables. Nshima may also be considered the country's national dish and eaten by hand. Zambians consume Nshima at lunchtime and dinner.
This customary Zambian preparation is made by combining grounded peanuts, onions, tomatoes and vegetables like spinach, pumpkin leaves, collard greens, and cassava leaves. The blend is simmered in peanut gravy until it reaches the desired consistency. Made during traditional and cultural functions and for family gatherings, this dish packs a healthy and flavourful punch!
It is sometimes called African polony (bologna) due to its meat-like consistency. This preparation is entirely plant-based, and made with free-grown orchid tubers! To make this dish, the tubers get dried and ground up and blended with a mixture of crushed peanuts and dried chilli peppers. It yields a meat-like texture and gets sliced and eaten with a variety of dishes like nshima or as a snack. In Livingstone, Zambia restaurants will also feature many of these dishes! So, don't forget to try it first-hand. The likes of Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara are among some of the other places where you can sample the best of Zambian cuisine during your travels!
Cassava root and its leaves are a common ingredient in Zambian cooking! In Katapa, the main ingredient is Cassava leaves, which are highly nutritious and remarkably flavourful.
This dish, however, might not be the easiest to make as it demands some effort to prepare. The leaves need to be thoroughly boiled for at least an hour in salt water to remove its bitter taste and certain substances that can make it poisonous to eat raw. Then it gets pounded with other ingredients like tomato, onion, oil and salt and is commonly eaten with Nshima or rice.
Delele is like an okra stew and is a popular dish in parts of Northern South Africa, like Zimbabwe and Botswana. Okra is called derere, and many will usually have delele alongside Nshima. Okra is boiled in water along with tomatoes, pumpkin leaves, onion, chilli and salt. Then baking soda is added to the preparation to form a slimy-looking glutinous stew. Don't let the simple ingredients or its appearance put you off from trying this unique dish. The chances are if you like okra, you will love this dish! To make it more interesting, pair it with a range of Zambian dishes like Bondwe (amaranth leaves), sweet potatoes, and Ifisashi.
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.
