Traditional cookout competition presents rare opportunity to Midlands

Michael Magoronga

WOMEN from the Midlands province got a rare opportunity to showcase their culinary skills, share recipes and engage in cultural exchange during a provincial traditional cookout competition held at the Kwekwe Polytechnic College on Wednesday.

The event attracted contestants from all over the province with some coming from as far as Chirumhanzu, Zvishavane, Mberengwa, Gokwe South, Gokwe North and Gweru.

A total of 18 contestants drawn from across the province showcased various traditional dishes and the winners will represent the province at the finals in Chinhoyi on May 16.

The First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa launched the traditional meal cookout competition in 2020 to promote the uptake of indigenous dishes and ensure citizens benefit from their nutritional value and medicinal properties.

The first national finals were held in 2021 and thereafter the First Lady handed over the programme to the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

Ms Clara Madzoke came out tops while Ms Brenda Rudu came second and they are both from Kwekwe district.

Mrs Veronica Dube from Chirumhanzu came third and her dish was voted the “provincial dish”.

All contestants walked away with hampers while winners walked away with different prizes ranging from kitchen utensils to complementary hotel accommodation from hospitality players in the province.

Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Deputy Minister Barbra Rwodzi hailed Dr Mnangagwa for coming up with the competition saying it helps younger generations to retrace their cultural footsteps.

“We applaud Amai Mnangagwa for coming up with this initiative as it will help our younger generations to catch up with the traditional ways of doing things. Our mothers should play their role and teach our children how to prepare these meals and how important they are to the body,” said Deputy Minister Rwodzi.

She said traditional meals were not only healthy but also had economic benefits.

“Non-communicable diseases like blood pressure, sugar diabetes and asthma among others, are rarely found in a person who eats traditional dishes.

This is also a way of making ends meet as most of these meals are either natural or they are easy to grow. For example, if women come up with a joint venture to sell milk, they can earn a living from that,” she said.

Deputy Minister Rwodzi said the initiative was part of gastronomy tourism which allows locals to showcase their various cultural backgrounds.

“This is a huge part of tourism called gastronomy tourism where locals have a chance to showcase their traditions through various traditional dishes. It is a key component of tourism and we thank Amai Mnangagwa for giving us an opportunity to showcase hidden talent,” she said.

The event was graced by senior Government officials and traditional leaders from across the province including the host, Chief Samambwa.