Gift Moyo, [email protected]
CELEBRITY chef Tafadzwa Anifasi, commonly known as De Ankarra Chef, has announced that his traditional African food and cuisine podcast titled Mahumbwe, will make its debut in November.
Aimed at providing a platform to showcase the rich heritage of traditional African cuisine and culture, Mahumbwe is meant to introduce an educational, informative and refreshing style of looking at African cuisine.
Anifasi said he had allowed himself to be immersed in the world of traditional African cuisine during the making of the podcast.
“I’m not sure if you can say that this podcast is one of a kind on the continent, but I think it’s one of a kind in Zimbabwe. Podcasts have been growing in popularity across the globe, so I thought to myself, why not create a podcast that showcases the rich heritage of Zimbabwean cuisine and culture. This began with a desire to demystify the notion that Zimbabwe has no cuisine and that our food is boring.
“The first season of the podcast will aim to showcase the variety of our traditional food ingredients, the variety of our dishes, as well as to delve into the cuisine of the different tribes in Zimbabwe, showcasing their similarities and the creativity that traditional chefs had back in the day when preparing these dishes,” said Anifasi.
Anifasi said his preferred guests were people who have extensive knowledge and experience in both traditional Zimbabwean and African cuisine, with those invited to the podcast renowned for making the connection between food and culture.
“As for the guests that I would like to interview, I think anyone knowledgeable in Zimbabwean cuisine, traditional Zimbabwean food ingredients, and anyone who has been doing work in the food space towards traditional food and has a deep understanding of how culture is linked to food. Anyone within that space is someone that I would definitely want to talk to.
“I’ve recently spoken to someone who farms and sells indigenous mushrooms. I’m preparing to speak to someone who’s been in the fishing business to explain the different kinds of fish that are available and things of that nature,” he said.
Having lived with his grandmother in the rural areas of Zimbabwe during his formative years, Anifasi said he had been exposed to a rich selection of traditional ingredients and dishes. When he grew up and was afforded the opportunity to travel to other countries, his experiences of the various foods and cultures inspired him to do some soul-searching and look more closely at his own roots.
“I was fortunate to grow up in the rural areas. Before I went to Croatia, I stayed with my grandmother, but I was never a proponent of traditional food growing up. I don’t think I would say I’d like to eat it, but I did love, since growing up in the rural areas, eating Ishwa.
“The passion for traditional Zimbabwean cuisine has been around me for the last five years. When I went to chef school, it wasn’t a passion project; it was more of a curiosity project. I was curious about food, and then I was fortunate enough to travel. I guess the travelling then exposed me to other cultures and other foods, and the more foods and cultures I experienced, the more I began to question what my food and my culture is,” he said.
Anifasi revealed that after he watched the processing of pearl millet in rural Rushinga, he had begun to develop a deeper love for Zimbabwean cuisine. It was then that he decided to immerse himself in the culture and explore it further.
“One experience I had when I went to Rushinga and saw how they processed pearl millet, known locally as munga, was my favourite experience with Zimbabwean food. This was because the food was relatable. The food was about me and my culture. So I think from that point, I then became passionate about knowing more. I realised that I was ignorant about what is out there, so that’s when I discovered, once again, a curiosity for our food. My passion is definitely Zimbabwean first, but African food as a whole,” he said.
The podcast is set to be launched in November of this year, with a number of episodes from the first season having already been recorded.
“I’m hoping to launch this podcast in November as that is also my birthday month, so it is very fitting to launch it then. We’re still filming a couple of episodes for the first season. Hopefully we’ll move according to schedule and be able to launch in November,” said Anifasi.
