Lunch is ready!

Muli shani! Greetings!

Lunch is ready!

And it’s Nshima!

The staple here in Zambia is a thick corn cereal/paste called Nshima.  In Zimbabwe and South Africa we called it putu and sadza.
It's cooked over a coal fire, and stirred with a large flat wooden ladle (almost a paddle!).


Nshima reminds me of ‘Cream of Wheat,’ a hot
cereal I grew up on, but only after the Cream of Wheat has been left out and it thickens.  Nshima feels similar to the cornflour playdough one might use with children; it can be molded into shapes.

And that’s how it’s eaten – rolled into a ball or small scoop, using one’s right hand only.   The ball or scoop is then used to gather up some veg or scoop up some gravy/relish.  Then it’s popped into one’s mouth, all with the right hand.  The left hand is used only if the protein needs to be broken or torn into pieces.

I take my midday and evening meals with the students.  Thanks to MaLunga and the other two cooks, I don't have to cook! With an overflow of students, many eat outside.

Several students have commented how meals are created around nshima.  Our lunches are nshima + protein (1 piece of chicken, 1 piece of beef on the bone, or 1 bream fish) + green veg (rape or pumpkin leaves with a bit of onion, maybe some okra).  Usually there is a gravy or relish. Our dinners are the same but without any protein.

One of the greatest concerns of several students I’ve spoken with, who consider the possibility of world travel, is not being able to have nshima every day.

There is a cold tap for washing hands before eating and afterwards. No cutlery is served.  I think how proud my father was to give us a set of sterling silver cutlery for our wedding, and the elaborate ritual of laying out the silver as portrayed in Downton Abbey.  How different cultures are.  But in the end we all enjoy our meals, gathered together for nourishment of the body and the soul.
 _______________________
Click here to enjoy more photos and the videos of my Zambia Journey.
 Ana's Zambia Journey blog link: https://zambiajourney.blogspot.com/