Zimbabwean Cuisine

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Zimbabwe- Cooking and Food

Overview of Zimbabwean Cuisine History
Zimbabwe is situated in the Southern Africa and it is marked by 2 important rivers of Africa: Zambezi and Limpopo – which provide a great quantity of fish, which are used in the Zimbabwean cuisine. Being full of tropical forests, Zimbabwe has a various flora and fauna, full of wild plants and animals. Besides these, the plantations of Zimbabwe (which are spread on 7 %of the territory) include corn and coffee – 2 staple elements of the Zimbabwean diet. maize is another staple aliment – this is consumed both for the national beverages and as a meal: there is the sadza (a stiff maize dish) and the whawha (maize beer). Due to the fact that Zimbabwe is a cosmopolitan society, as the population is formed of various African nations, like Shona, Tonga or Nbede, but also of Europeans and Asians, the Zimbabwe cuisine presents a variety and flexibility of meals and tastes.

Cuisines of Zimbabwe


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createpageform-zimbabwean In Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, the diversity of the international cuisines is very wide, as it contains cuisines from all the continents. Sometimes, these cuisines are combined with the local plants, in order to get popular dishes with local flavors – this is the case of the pasta and vegetarian dishes, which combine the Italian cuisine with the local staple aliments: lasagna with creamed spinach, herbed mushrooms, pumpkin and asparagus or rollatini with vegetables, toasted mixed nuts, mango and saffron sauce. In the big towns or cities, like Bulawayo, Gweru or Mutare, the cuisine is more sophisticated and includes more elements that the one found in the rural areas. In most of the villages, people’s diet is based on the traditional breads, like the pot brood (which is baked on coal fire), patarolle (sweet potato rolls), mashed veggies, isidudu (pumpkin pap), soups (maize soup) and stews (tomato bredie, Potato stew with Chicken or potjiekos).

Zimbabwean Food Glossary
Finding the ingredients for an Zimbabwean Recipe is not so easy when you do not know the names of the ingredients. Take time to make a list of ingredients and the name they may be found under at the Local Markets.


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Preparation Methods for Zimbabwean Cooking
Using the right amount of spices for example is essential – either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. Zimbabwean cuisine uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Zimbabwean cooking, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Zimbabwean cuisine. The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Zimbabwe is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Zimbabwe’s regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Burkina Faso dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Special Equipment for Zimbabwean Cooking
From cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers