peterRobin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
PLUMTREE High School pupils wowed judges at the National Cookout Competition for Matabeleland South Province that was held in Plumtree yesterday by the Young Women for Economic Development (YW4ED).
The team managed to beat five other districts that also took part in the competition whose finals will be held in Bulawayo next month. Judges from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority said they were impressed with the Upper Six learners’ performance at the competition as they were the team with the most innovative, skillful and unique dishes prepared in the province.
The team also prepared their dishes in a hygienic environment that also impressed the judges and saw them taking first prize.
The representative of the students, Ms Wisisani Nleya who is their food and nutrition teacher said they were shocked to have won the competition as they only entered a day before the event.
“The school head told us about the cookout competition and that we should take part. We came in the morning and we started to buy ingredients that we needed, some were availed to us and then the team sat down to plan the dishes they wanted to cook and that is how we did it. We were surprised to win as we did it just for fun,” said Ms Nleya.
The dishes from Plumtree High School that wowed the judges for being innovative included matemba envelopes which were pies stuffed with fried matemba, tsunga cakes and a sweet potato peanut casserole. They also made a traditional Kalanga dish called tjimoni which is a mixture of crushed maize meal, roundnuts and peanuts cooked separately and later combined and simmered.
Young Women for Economic Development YW4ED Programs Coordinator in the National Executive Committee Ms Sithabile Gandi Ndlovu said the event was to bring together young women across the country and cook traditional foods with a modern flair.
“We are hosting the event throughout the provinces to enable young women to cook a variety of traditional foods in creative ways and the finals of this competition will be in Bulawayo in September where the winner will be funded to open a restaurant.
We will fund that project and it will be selling traditional foods cooked in creative ways. We will be showcasing how different cultures cook their traditional dishes. We are emulating the cookouts by the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. Young women are very interested in this venture especially with the opportunity to then have a fully funded business started for them,” she said.
Miss Fortunate Kundu provincial chairperson for YW4ED in Matabeleland South said the event was a worthwhile one as it has taken young women back to their roots.
“The provincial cookout competition was done to select women in Mat South to cook traditional foods and come out with the best dishes. It was started by the First Lady because people have been shunning traditional foods. We need to know the importance of tradition and traditional foods. Such competitions assist people in knowing how to cook traditional foods in innovative ways. As YW4ED we also empower youths as that is also our thrust. We want to leave young women empowered and not dependent on anyone,” she said.
Zanu-PF Women’s League Provincial Chairperson Cde Sindisiwe Nleya also told the delegates that many of the non-communicable diseases that were affecting people were largely of the over processed foods they eat and lack of traditional foods that have higher nutritional value. She encouraged people to move to a healthier lifestyle by introducing traditional menus in their homes. @NyembeziMu
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