Dávid from Zambia – XV. Blog Post

This time, I won't bore you with any unusual talks. Instead, I've brought you a traditional Zambian dish: Nshima, Kapenta, Chiwawa, and a little bit of red beans.

Nshima (pronounced: SHEE-ma) – the white thing in the picture – is Zambia's staple food. It's essentially a very thick porridge made from finely ground cornmeal. The locals eat it every day. Some housewives cook it firmer, while others make it softer. It's believed that if you manage to make it firm enough, it fills your stomach better.

Kapenta – tiny fish – The Tanganyika sardine, known as kapenta or matemba in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, is essentially a plankton-eating fish that is fried whole in oil. Yep, that means the fish's eyes will be staring at you while you eat. Just kidding, but it's not really one of my favourites.

Chiwawa: No, it's not the dog! In fact, it has nothing to do with meat at all. The locals pick the leaves of the pumpkin, then cook them for several hours in a tomato, onion, and salty base. Even though I'm a meat lover, this is one of the best dishes I've tried in Zambia so far. There's also a pureed version of it, but I haven't had the chance to try that yet.