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Lifestyle Writer
It is five days before Zimbabwe joins the rest of the African continent in celebrating Africa Day.
The day is usually celebrated in grand style, beautiful traditional outfits and putting on a colourful display of culture, food and diversity.
For those lost, Africa Day was first held in 1963 in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, when 32 countries formed the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU).
In the more than half a decade since, 21 additional countries have joined the OAU, with South Africa the last country to join in 1994 after Apartheid ended.
The OAU’s original mission was to bring freedom to African countries that were still under colonial rule in the 60s, defend their sovereignty, uphold human rights and restore the dignity of the African people.
Nowadays, Africa Day is a national holiday and is widely celebrated by Africans — but what does it mean in a modern age?
The Herald on Saturday Lifestyle conducted a survey on some of the traditional foods bugging the trend, what the day meant to some Africans and cultural and traditional practices and events taking place on the day.
Good thing, everyone confirmed that preparations are at an advanced stage for the day.
Tendai Kanorota and his wife Priscilla, both born in Tanzania in East Africa, said Africa Day helped people from different countries come together to share their cultures and celebrate through food and dance.
Kanorota who was born of a Zimbabwean father and Tanzanian mother said will cook both dishes and enjoys playing African games.
The couple who has a shop along Gulf Complex, CBD said to them the day is colourful and fun.
“Our children like to mingle with other children, learning different cultures,” he said.
“My wife is a best cook and we usually gather around as families at our backyard home in Helensvale as we learn about different cultures and beliefs. It’s definitely worth celebrating.”
Kanorota said Africa Day was especially beneficial for their children, who were born in Sweden, to understand their roots.
“We later moved to Zimbabwe in 2016 as my wife was studying in Sweden. Our two children were born there but it is our duty to teach them about African roots.”
A visit to some of the traditional restaurants across Harare also revealed that traditional foods are bugging the trend.
From Nigeria to Ghana, Zambezi to Limpopo it proved that traditional foods that were consumed throughout history before the modernization and industrialization of the food supply, restaurants are resuscitating the phenomenon in various countries.
Yes, it is a fact that these foods are not only free from additives, chemicals and many of the things we find in food today, but they were exceptionally nourishing.
Though the specifics of traditional food varied by culture, many cultures included some variation.
Besides its amazing taste and culinary uses, broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system (chicken soup when you are sick, anyone?) and improve digestion.
Ghananian chef Nyankomago Dzigbodi based in Bulawayo said Africa Day is special as there is a lot to learn from a group of people by the way they put together their meals especially on the day.
“The ingredients, cooking methods and energy they apply into feeding themselves extend beyond nourishment, with their culinary skills reflecting different beliefs, traditions and habits.
As such, experiencing and experimenting with local traditional foods provides an education of the culture, too,” she narrated.
“Traditional Ghanaian food is typified by the distribution of food crops. With the prominence of tropical produce like corn,beans, millet, plantains and cassava, most ethnic groups creatively employ these foodstuffs to make mouth-watering dishes for their nourishment.”
She said her favourite dish was fufu and goat light soup.
“In the Eastern and Ashanti regions of Ghana, one meal guaranteed to work its wonder is fufu and goat light soup, the proud dish of the Akan.”
“Fufu is a staple food across West Africa but in Ghana, it is made by pounding a mixture of boiled cassava and plantains into a soft sticky paste togo along with aromatic and spicy tomato soup.
Fufu can also be found in Northern Ghana, although it is made with yam in this region. Next weekend delight is relished across the country, albeit with slight differences made to the core recipe,” she said.
The chef added that it would not be African Day without Kelewele dish.
“No list of traditional Ghanaian foods would be complete without this savoury side dish. Kelewele is an instant favourite among anyone who tries it, even those who aren’t big fans of peppery food. Usually sold as a snack or side dish all over Accra, it is made by frying soft plantains that have been soaked in a medley of peppers, ginger and garlic. The aroma is crisp and strong, while the pleasant plantain adds some sweetness to the sour.”
It would be myopic to talk about traditional foods and ignore Jollof rice.
Originally from Senegal, Jollof is a pot dish of rice prepared with tomato sauce and served with meat or fish that stirs up plenty of interesting debate online.
The rice soaks up the juicy flavours and turns orange when cooking, and is a national favourite that can be found in most restaurants or dished out by street vendors at affordable prices.
Some of the interesting dishes to note include Malawi’s popular Kachumbari. This style of salad is made from raw onions that need to be diced, which are very important in the dish. They are also seasoned with pepper, tomatoes and salt, often topped with goat or beef. In some coastal areas rice pilaf is added. Then there is the Mbatata.
Malawi’s snacks and desserts don’t really stand out, but when they get down to the nitty-gritty, the results are always delicious and nutritious.
They are biscuits made from sweet potato, margarine, milk and sugar.
Sometimes cinnamon is added for flavour. When the orange biscuits have cooled, sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon and serve.
On to Zambia, it is known to be rich in food culture because of its mouth-watering traditional dishes that you can easily find in restaurants, lodges and even in some five star hotels.
“I love the Chikanda dish popularly known as African Polony. It is one of the most delicious Zambian foods you just need to taste,” said Monica Katso from Zambia who is in Zimbabwe for a visit. “It is meatless, purely a vegetable. A long time ago, it was usually just sold as street food or at the local market. However, over the years, Chikanda has gained popularity in supermarkets and even five star hotels.”
Sadza is the staple food for Zimbabwe and henceforth it needs no further explanation as now you can eat it with your favourite meal or vegetables.
Online Reporter