Zambian Soups

The Zambian soups are usually thick and they are served as main courses. These soups can be made using only vegetables, but most Zambians prefer mixing vegetables with meat. The most common meat using in making soup is chicken, but any other kind of meat can be used. In some parts of Zambia game is also used, including elephant or mice.

Elephant soup is an exotic Zambian dish. Its main ingredients are: elephant meat coated with salt and honey and dried in the sun (biltong), beef broth or beef stock, mirepoix (diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs in butter), shelled, roasted peanuts, boiled chana dal, Wumubu mushrooms, salt, black pepper, cream and butter.

Ndole soup is made from a variety of ingredients that, for the non-African, might seem to be an odd combination. These ingredients are: fresh or dried bitter leaf, spinach, or similar greens (kale, collards, or turnip greens), fresh shrimp or prawns, dried, salted, or smoked fish (such as cod), raw shelled peanuts, onion, fresh ginger root, garlic, ripe, tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, green bell pepper, chilli pepper, chicken broth or chicken stock, palm oil, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper.

Oxtail soup is a Zambian dish that takes a long time to cook (4 hours), but it is very exotic and tasty. It is made using oxtail, carrots, turnip, table celery, tomatoes, sherry, peppercorns, parsley, thyme and a bay leaf. This dish is cooked mainly at special occasions such as weddings.