What comes to your mind when you hear about the country Zambia? I guess, a country with vast species of wildlife, the famous River Zambezi and the beautiful safari destinations. One thing I bet never came to your mind is the Inswa and Ifinkubala insect meal. These meals make up the exciting Zambian cuisine.
Zambian cuisine is rich and if you were wondering, these are mouth watering delicacies in Zambia and if you ever visit Zambia, you should try out the following meals.
NSHIWA
Nshiwa served with vegetables
Let’s say this is the mother of all meals and the major traditional native meal of Zambia. Nshiwa is a carbohydrate made out of corn and processed into a fine white powder called ‘mealie meal.’
This meal is meal is prepared by mixing cornmeal in water or milk and brought to boil till a thick texture is formed. A substitute for fufu, cassava, millet or sorghum, it is usually served with vegetables or protein (meat or fish).
2. IFINKUBALA
Traditional Ifinkubala served with tomatoes and Nshiwa
In Zambia, caterpillars are referred to as Ifinkubala. They are fried in oil or boiled before frying and served with tomatoes/onion and Nshiwa. To prepare, the Ifinkubala is cleaned in hot salted water for 15 minutes then fried in cooking oil till crunchy. Salt, pepper and onions are added for extra taste. For maximum enjoyment, tomato soup is made separately then added to the meal. LOL.
3. INSWA
On first sight, one would wonder why a sane person should eat this but what you were never told about this special delicacy that makes up the Zambian cuisine is how nutritiously rich in protein it is. Flying ants, otherwise called Inswa are collected during the rainy season, and wings pulled off for preparation. Its preparation method is similar to the Ifinkubala. it is eaten as a snack or served with Nshima as a side dish.
If the people of Zambia see these dishes as Mother Africa’s healing foods to them, then why not? bring on the initiation. That is not all there is to the Zambia cuisine so we meet again next week for more unique delicacies.
