Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s food is built around sadza with peanut-buttered greens, slow-stewed village chicken, dried kapenta and mopane worms; fermented maize drinks. Look for Sadza (stiff white maize porridge at the center of every meal), Muriwo unedovi (leafy greens simmered in creamy peanut butter) and Madora (dried mopane worms fried with tomato and chili). Maize meal cooked stiff, eaten twice daily; maize arrived through Portuguese trade and became Zimbabwe’s staple in the colonial era. This atlas has 29 Zimbabwe dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

29 dishes.

BotaBotasoft morning porridge stirred with peanut butter or jamChibukuChibukuOpaque commercial sorghum beer sold by the carton, shaken before pouringChimodhoChimodhorustic baked cornmeal bread, also called mupotohayiChimukuyuChimukuyuBeef salted and sun-dried in strips, then pounded and cooked in relishDoviDovipeanut butter stew with chicken or vegetablesFreezitFreezitSweet fruit-flavoured ice frozen in a long plastic sleeveGuruGuruTripe simmered for hours with onion and tomato until softHwahwaHwahwaHome-brewed maize and millet beer, cloudy and sour, drunk from a clay potIshwaIshwaFlying termites gathered at dusk and dry-fried until cracklingKapentaKapentasmall dried Tanganyika sardines fried with tomato and onionMadoraMadoradried mopane worms fried with tomato and chiliMahewuMahewufermented maize drink often made from leftover sadzaMaputiMaputipopped maize kernels, Zimbabwe's popcorn, often with peanutsMasauMasauSmall tart wild jujube fruit eaten fresh or dried into cakesMazoeMazoeBright orange cordial diluted with water, the national soft drinkMazondoMazondoCow trotters stewed for hours to a sticky gelatinous brothMbambairaMbambairaSweet potatoes boiled or roasted, eaten hot with teaMubooraMuboorapumpkin leaves cooked with tomatoes or peanut butterMukaka wakakoraMukaka wakakoraThick soured milk poured over hot sadza until it coolsMukumbiMukumbiMarula fruit juice left to ferment into a cloudy, tangy beerMuriwo unedoviMuriwo unedovileafy greens simmered in creamy peanut butterMutakuraMutakuraboiled maize with peanuts, cowpeas or bambara nutsNhedziNhedziwild mushroom soup gathered in the rainy seasonNhopiNhopiPumpkin mashed with peanut butter into a sweet-savoury orange puréeRoadrunner chickenRoadrunner chickenfree-range village hen stewed slowly, prized weekend treatRock shandyRock shandyLemonade and soda water reddened with Angostura bitters and lemonRupizaRupizaCowpeas pounded and simmered to a thick savoury mashSadzaSadzastiff white maize porridge at the center of every mealZumbani teaZumbani teaHerbal infusion of fever-tea leaves, camphor-scented and drunk hot

  • Muriwo unedovi

    Leafy greens simmered in creamy peanut butter. Ready in 10 min prep and 20 min cooking. 4 servings as a…

  • Sadza

    Stiff white maize porridge at the center of every meal. Ready in 5 min prep and 30 min cooking. 4…

  • Bota

    Soft morning porridge stirred with peanut butter or jam. Ready in 5 min prep and 20 min cooking. 4 servings.…

  • Chimukuyu

    Beef salted and sun-dried in strips, then pounded and cooked in relish. A charcuterie & cured recipe from Zimbabwe.

  • Chimodho

    Rustic baked cornmeal bread, also called mupotohayi. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 50 minutes cooking. One loaf, 10 slices.…

  • Dovi

    Peanut butter stew with chicken or vegetables. Ready in 25 min prep and 1 hr cooking. 6 servings. A soup…

  • Freezit

    Sweet fruit-flavoured ice frozen in a long plastic sleeve. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking. About 12…

  • Guru

    Tripe simmered for hours with onion and tomato until soft. Ready in 30 min prep and 3 hr 30 min…

  • Hwahwa

    Home-brewed maize and millet beer, cloudy and sour, drunk from a clay pot. A wine & spirit recipe from Zimbabwe.

  • Ishwa

    Flying termites gathered at dusk and dry-fried until crackling. Ready in 30 min prep and 20 min cooking. 4 servings.…