The way to a man's heart is through his stomach

Zimbabwean cuisine is very diverse and varied just like its cultures and languages. The staple food is sadza, pap, that can also be called differently by minority tribes.  Sadza features in most meals sometimes twice or thrice per day. It's pity that the food manufacturing and packaging industry has failed to get sadza tinned, maybe something still in the pipeline.

Its not taken alone but with beef stews, vergies, chicken, mice, including okra among many other stews. At leisure spots and watering holes, cow heels (mazondo) and the oxhead are very popular. These gelatinous stews can be taken alone or with sadza.

They are said to be very good for the joints and 'macho' for the male species. Something to be blue-ticked are mice (mbeva) which come grilled, salted and at best peppered with chillies. The whole of southern Africa enjoy this seasonal dish that is in season now.

We also have wild okra and some edible wild vegetables like 'bonongwe, nyevhe,' etc. All these identify with us and us with them. Garden tubers like 'madhumbe' (yums), sweet potatoes and 'tsenza' have a slot on our tables.

Very tasty and satiating can keep one going or toiling for hours. On beverages the traditional sorghum (mahewu) stands shoulder high. Very popular with both young and old. Its tingy fermented taste is very outstanding and aromatic. Very healthy indeed for the gut and overall wellness.

We also have stand alone meals like (mutakura), boiled jugo beans or cow peas, sometimes mixed with corn. Travellers traversing the land on foot would carry such meals for midway consumption at selected laybys. Now there is a new kid on the block, presumably recipe borrowed from West Africa.


This is cowskin stew. In Ghana they call it wele-wele, in Nigeria its ponmo (not sure of the lettering). It all begins at drinking places. The dish is slowly featuring at gathering places with the 'boys', men shall always be men. The cowskin is cleaned on both sides with hot water, furs removed, cut into sizeable pickings, fermented then slow cooked till the soup is like paper-glue. Salt and chilly to taste then all boredom falls apart.

Cowskin is 'devilish good', an exciting dish indeed. The only fear and worry is that our leather industry may soon run out of raw materials but for now its, "one more portion please"! An 'apprentice' gomerndizer or glutton is likely to be hospitalised after over-eating cowskin stew. Its trending and hot.

Tondo Chinehasha. Mash. Central