Sadza
Encyclopedia
Sadza in Shona
, Isitshwala in isiNdebele, pap
in South Africa
or nsima in the Chichewa language
of Malawi
, is a cooked corn meal that is the staple food
in Zimbabwe
and other parts of southern and eastern Africa. This food is cooked widely in other countries of the region.
Sadza in appearance is a thickened porridge
. A thinner form of sadza, 'porridge' is cooked with -peanut butter or instead margarine- and eaten in the mornings occasionally. The most common form of sadza is made with white maize
(Mealie-Meal
). This maize meal is referred to as hupfu in Shona
or impuphu in Ndebele
. Despite the fact that maize is actually an imported food crop to Zimbabwe (circa 1890), it has become the chief source of carbohydrate
and the most popular meal for indigenous people. Locals either purchase the meal in retail outlets or produce it in a grinding mill
from their own maize
.
Zimbabweans prefer white maize meal. During times of famine
or hardship they resort to eating yellow maize meal, which is sometimes called "Kenya," because it was once imported from that nation.
Before the introduction of maize, sadza was made from millet
flour instead.
The sadza is usually served in a communal bowl or separate plates and is taken with the right hand occasionally, rolled into a ball, and dipped into meat, sauce
/ gravy
, lacto/ sour milk or stew
ed vegetable
s etc(see below).
Shona language
Shona is a Bantu language, native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Shona language dialects: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Ndau and Korekore...
, Isitshwala in isiNdebele, pap
PAP
- People :* King Pap of Armenia* Arthur Pap, philosopher* Eszter Pap, a Hungarian triathlete* The nickname of Mike Papantonio, a Florida-based trial attorney and co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
or nsima in the Chichewa language
Chichewa language
Chewa, also known as Nyanja, is a language of the Bantu language family. The gender prefix chi- is used for languages, so the language is also known as Chichewa and Chinyanja.-Distribution:...
of Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, is a cooked corn meal that is the staple food
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and other parts of southern and eastern Africa. This food is cooked widely in other countries of the region.
Sadza in appearance is a thickened porridge
Porridge
Porridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
. A thinner form of sadza, 'porridge' is cooked with -peanut butter or instead margarine- and eaten in the mornings occasionally. The most common form of sadza is made with white maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
(Mealie-Meal
Mielie-meal
In South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and many other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, a relatively coarse flour made from maize ....
). This maize meal is referred to as hupfu in Shona
Shona
Shona may refer to:*Shona people, a Southern African people*Shona language, a Bantu language spoken By Shona people*Eilean Shona, a Scottish island*Shona...
or impuphu in Ndebele
Ndebele
- Ethnic groups :*South Ndebele people, located in the South Africa*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe, and Botswana- Languages :*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele...
. Despite the fact that maize is actually an imported food crop to Zimbabwe (circa 1890), it has become the chief source of carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
and the most popular meal for indigenous people. Locals either purchase the meal in retail outlets or produce it in a grinding mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
from their own maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
.
Zimbabweans prefer white maize meal. During times of famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
or hardship they resort to eating yellow maize meal, which is sometimes called "Kenya," because it was once imported from that nation.
Before the introduction of maize, sadza was made from millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
flour instead.
The sadza is usually served in a communal bowl or separate plates and is taken with the right hand occasionally, rolled into a ball, and dipped into meat, sauce
Sauce
In cooking, a sauce is liquid, creaming or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...
/ gravy
Gravy
Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...
, lacto/ sour milk or stew
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
ed vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s etc(see below).
Notable foods eaten with sadza
Meat, is known as Nyama in Zimbabwe- Red meatRed meatRed meat in traditional culinary terminology is meat which is red when raw and not white when cooked. In the nutritional sciences, red meat includes all mammal meat. Red meat includes the meat of most adult mammals and some fowl ....
(includes beef, mutton, goat, and game meat - White meatWhite meatWhite meat or light meat refers to the lighter-colored meat of poultry as contrasted with dark meat. In a more general sense, white meat may also refer to any lighter-colored meat, as contrasted with red meats like beef and some types of game....
(includes huku or inkukhu - chicken meat, hove - Fish) - Spring greensSpring greensSpring greens are a cultivar of Brassica oleracea in the cultivar Acephala Group, similar to kale, in which the central leaves do not form a head or form only a very loose one...
(known as imibhida in the Ndebele Language, muriwo in the Shona Language) - Sugar Beans (known as indumba in Ndebele, nyemba Shona)
- CabbageCabbageCabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
- KapentaKapentaThe Tanganyika sardine, known as Kapenta in Zambia and Zimbabwe or Dagaa or Ndgaa elsewhere, is really two species both of which are small, planktivorous, pelagic, freshwater clupeid originating from Lake Tanganyika in East Africa...
- Derere DeleleDeleleDerere is a Zimbabwean and north-eastern Botswana dish made from a local plant of the same name, and often eaten with sadza. The English word for Derere is Okra. It is prepared with baking soda and well known for its slimy texture. Derere can be dried before cooking, but more frequently it is...
- okraOkraOkra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins... - Mopane worms/madora/amacimbiGonimbrasia belinaGonimbrasia belina is a species of moth found in much of Southern Africa, whose large edible caterpillar, the mopani or mopane worm, is an important source of protein for millions of indigenous Southern Africans.-Vernacular names:...
(edible moth caterpillar) - Soured milkSoured milkSoured milk is a food product, distinguished from spoiled milk, and is a general term for milk that has acquired a tart taste, either through the addition of an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, or through bacterial fermentation. The acid causes milk to coagulate and form a thicker consistency...
natural yogurt (known as amasi in NdebeleNdebele- Ethnic groups :*South Ndebele people, located in the South Africa*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe, and Botswana- Languages :*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele...
or Nguni Languages in South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, mukaka wakakora in ShonaShonaShona may refer to:*Shona people, a Southern African people*Shona language, a Bantu language spoken By Shona people*Eilean Shona, a Scottish island*Shona...
or lacto) - Soya Chunks
- Cleome gynandraCleome gynandraCleome gynandra Tilavanis a species of cleome known by the common name African cabbage. It is an annual wildflower native to Africa but has become widespread in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world. It is an erect, branching plant generally between 25cm and 60cm tall...
(ulude in NdebeleNdebele- Ethnic groups :*South Ndebele people, located in the South Africa*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe, and Botswana- Languages :*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele...
)~/nyevhe in shona - Pumpkin PumpkinA pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
leaves known as Muboora in shona or ibhokola in Ndebele - FishFishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
(inhlanzi in NdebeleNdebele- Ethnic groups :*South Ndebele people, located in the South Africa*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe, and Botswana- Languages :*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele...
) - Cow hoofCow hoof-Lameness:Approximately 95% of lameness in dairy cattle occurs in the feet. Lameness in dairy cows can reduce milk production and fertility, and cause reproductive problems, suffering and expense. Prevention is important. Cattle areas should be kept dry, since a hoof kept constantly wet becomes...
(amanqgina, mazondo) - OxtailOxtailOxtail is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. Formerly, it referred only to the tail of an ox or steer, a castrated male. An oxtail typically weighs 2 to 4 lbs. and is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is usually slow-cooked, often stewed or...
- soups and stews
- Other food stuffs include intestine (OffalOffalOffal , also called, especially in the United States, variety meats or organ meats, refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but includes most internal organs other than...
- ezangaphakathi (includes amathumbu, amaphaphu, isibindi,utwane, ulusu, umbendeni) in NdebeleNdebele- Ethnic groups :*South Ndebele people, located in the South Africa*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe, and Botswana- Languages :*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele...
) known as matumbu, (sun dried vegetables) known as uMfushwa/Mufushawa And many more
Further more
See also
- CornmealCornmealCornmeal is flour ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the...
- FufuFufuFufu, , is a staple snack of West and Central Africa. It is a thick paste usually made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding with a mortar and pestle until the desired consistency is reached...
(suji) - MămăligaMamaligaMămăligă is a porridge made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania and Moldova. It is similar to the Italian polenta.In Transylvania and in Carpathia mămăligă is also called puliszka...
- NshimaNshimaNshima or nsima or Bidia is a cornmeal product and a staple food in Zambia, Malawi and the Kasai Oriental and Kasai Occidental provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is made from ground maize flour known locally as mealie-meal...
- PolentaPolentaPolenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier...
- UgaliUgaliUgali is an East African dish of maize flour cooked with water to a porridge- or dough-like consistency. It is the most common staple starch of much of Eastern and Southern Africa...
- chapatiChapatiChapati or Chapatti or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. Versions of it are found in Turkmenistan and in East African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania...
- dellele
In literature
- Nervous ConditionsNervous ConditionsNervous Conditions is a novel by Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga. Semi-autobiographical, it is set in the post-colonial Rhodesia of the 1960s...
Tsitsi Dangarembga, 1988. Ayebia Clark Publishing 2004