Potent Potables

Coming to Mozambique I had no idea what to expect about… well… a lot things I’d say. I imagined everything from architecture to landscape based on educated guesses and whatever I could research before I left the states. At least one thing was for sure though: there would be no Dom’s, John’s, Presto’s, or Pino’s; no Mighty Taco; no La Nova… jeez… would they at least have cream soda in Mozambique?! Doubtful.

When I got here in October what I found was lots of rice, beans, bread, various veggies, xima (pronounced chima), and exotic fruit. Most people here fall below the line of poverty (80% as of 2003 based on a document I recently read for work) and so the most popular foods are that which people can get for the cheapest.

Xima is especially common as this cornmeal based food is both inexpensive and filling. By mixing the cornmeal powder with water and bringing it to a boil, the mixture hardens into a substance almost like potatoes. This is taken and topped with any kind of sauce for a little bit of flavor. (It’s actually pretty good too depending on the sauce).

As for what xima or rice can be topped with, there are many difference recipes of course. If I’m talking about Mozambican food, however, I have to talk about Matapa (Mah-tah-pa). Matapa is made with crushed cassava leaves, nuts, coconut water, and shrimp all cooked together in what turns out to be… well… a blend of delicious-ness. You can’t come to Mozambique without trying it, but if you’re on your own you might hesitate to make it yourself: properly prepared matapa can take 1 1/2-4 hours depending on the circumstances. Crushing everything is one challenge as you need lots of patience and muscle strength. Imagine a wooden chalice, times 15-20 in size (knee length), with most of a massive wooden pole sticking out of it. That’s what you crush things with when you’re making food for more than a few people. Yeah… I’ve only made it once. Lol.

Samousas are another tasty, inexpensive treat that can be found in an outdoor market for 1 Mt apiece, or 5cents in the US. Samousas are the same shape and size as a Dorito, but much thicker as it is basically fried dough filled with a mixture of veggies and maybe some fish. (Fish is also common being that we are so close to the water). This may or may not be one of my favorite snacks to grab on my way home from work. 

As for what I’ve been doing about food, I’ve found that I like to cook… very, VERY much. That’s right, maybe some classic rock or better yet… blues music and smell of whatever I purchased that day simmering on the stovetop… what a perfect way to start the evening. So far I have been experimenting a lot with the PC volunteer’s cookbook and have made everything from bruschetta to spaghetti with homemade mango sauce to homemade baked beans to mashed potatoes and stuffing and so on. As I wrote Leah in a letter a few weeks ago (which she’ll probably get a year from now thanks to somewhat slow postal service lol) it’s like I’m going from Chef Boyardee to Chef Emeril faster than you can say BAM! Cheesy I know… sorry, couldn’t help it.

Seriously though, I work with what I have… which thankfully is quite a bit: tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, onions, cucumber, pineapple, mangos, apples, bananas, and dried shrimp are commonly sold in most neighborhood outdoor markets, among the other cheaper foods already mentioned. That’s not even mentioning some of the things I can find if I scour some of the bigger markets inside the city.

All in all, I would say that I have been blessed with a decent amount of resources. I can find a lot of good food for relatively low cost and I can sample local plates at whichever outdoor stand or small restaurant I stumble upon. There’s no McDonald’s here, but there is a small place hidden away from the street in the marketplace where I can get a good meal and a fanta for 40 Mts. There are no La Nova’s BBQ wings, but there are fresh pineapples in season now which serve as a delicious way to start the day. Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that Maxixe is starting to feel like home…