Amagugu holds womena��s expo

Viola Mzungwana
a�?PROUDLY Zimbabweana�� is an unofficial tag given to the preference of locally produced goods ahead of imports and the trend is steadily creeping into the food industry.

This played out at the recently held Amagugu Traditional Foods and Beverages Expo last week in Matobo.

Sponsored by manufacturers of traditional beverages commonly referred to as maheu a�� Chibuku and Arenel a�� as well as Orap, the Amagugu Traditional Foods and Beverages Expo was a well attended exhibition in Matobo last Saturday attracting people from all walks of life.

From university lecturers, members of the media and local women exhibitors, the one day expo proved to be a hit with traditional foods and beverages enthusiasts sampling unique dishes that were on show.

Popular with the masses was a local traditional dish called Ismoni made of a mixture of samp, groundnuts, peanut butter and dried wild berries.

Sehliselo Sibanda, who cooked the dish, said she was not surprised that it had proved to be popular.

a�?The secret behind the dish is to add dried wild berries to the other ingredients. People are familiar with the dish without dried wild berries and I have been working on adding an extra ingredient to give the dish an extra flavour,a�? said Sibanda.

Where does she sell her traditional dishes?

a�?I either sell by the roadside to long distance travellers or at functions such as weddings and parties,a�? she said.

One of the exhibitors Thabani Nkatha explained how they harvest common fruits found mostly in rural areas such as vangueria infausta known in IsiNdebele as umviyo, wild berries (umtshwankela), and monkey oranges ( umkhemeswane) to use in their dishes.

a�?We noticed that fruits that are known and eaten by our people can also add flavor to our dishes if cooked the right way. That inspired us to harvest the fruits and dry them for later use,a�? said Nkatha.

Founder and director of the Amagugu Cultural, where the expo was held, Pathisa Nyathi encouraged Zimbabweans to increase their consumption of traditional foods and drinks as they have been proven to be of great nutritional value.

a�?Traditional foods are a cheaper and healthier choice and we encourage people to eat more traditional foods and drinks such as maheu and other beverages that are made from African ingredients,a�? said Nyathi.

43- year-old Thembi Ncube (ABOVE)A� – a talented poet and traditional foods and beverages entrepreneur a�� kept the visitors and exhibitors entertained during the day with poems that touched on strong women in society.