Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
MS Buhlebenkosi Nkala from Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South won the national “Traditional Cookout Competition” community category and will represent Zimbabwe at the United Nations Gastronomy Conference in Victoria Falls in July.
The United Nations Gastronomy Conference will be held in Victoria Falls on July 25.
This year’s national cook-out competition was held in Nyanga on Friday and Saturday, featuring 62 contestants across community, professional and student chef categories.
The 30-year-old beat 21 other participants to wow the judges with her well-planned and executed menu of 60 dishes, including organic herbal beverages and a guinea fowl wrapped in small intestines.
Ms Nkala shared her passion for traditional cuisine and its health benefits, encouraging other youths to participate in the cook-out competition and embrace their cultural heritage.
Ms Nkala was the youngest contestant in her category and was among eight participants from Matabeleland South in various categories. She walked away with a cash prize, a four-plate stove, a 10kg gas tank, a medal and grocery hamper.
She retained all the dishes she prepared at the provincial competition and added new dishes, which comprised guinea fowl, crocodile meat, sweet potato cereal and a wild fruit cake. She also added organic herbal beverages such as aloe vera herbal juice, baobab coconut drink, baobab milkshake, tamarind herbal juice, and tamarind iced tea.
Ms Nkala indicated that she had already started pondering on dishes to enter the upcoming competition.
“The competition was stiff as all competitors had prepared excellent dishes. As I was preparing my dishes, I ensured that I did my level best,” she said.
“I’m happy that I was able to represent my province very well and I’m the first since the inception of the cook-out competition to bring the cup home.
“It’s a great honour for me to represent my country at the United Nations Gastronomy Conference in Victoria Falls. I have already started preparing for the event as I will take my work to an even higher level.
“I want to bring the cup home. Our country is very rich in traditional cuisine and all that is needed is to research and then we execute.”
Ms Nkala said she was raised eating traditional foods and hence she understands their importance and health benefits.
Youths, she said, can leverage their exposure to technology to come up with recipes that can take the cook-out competitions to another level.
She also urged the youth to tap into the wisdom of the elderly, who have decades of experience in cooking.
She expressed gratitude to the organisers and all competitors for supporting her during the competitions, saying it gave her motivation to work extra hard.
“I would like to thank the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa for coming up with this initiative, which has taught me a lot,” said Ms Nkala.
“The cook-out competitions have presented us with a platform to develop our cooking talent in many ways. This competition didn’t just teach us how to cook, but we also learnt etiquette, hygiene and how to behave and dress as a woman.
“Our eyes have also been opened on how important it is for us to prioritise traditional foods, as we have seen the value in our indigenous food.”
The cook-out programme was initiated by the First Lady in 2019, with the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry being tasked to co-ordinate the implementation of the programme together with provinces and other relevant ministries.
—@DubeMatutu
Online Reporter