Swallows, mice and grasshoppers on the menu in Malawi

DW (English)

Malawi's food scene is incredibly diverse, with many different people infusing it with the tastes of their own culture. Are you brave enough to taste these traditional Malawian foods?

Transcript

00:00What does it taste like to eat real Malawian food?

00:04Join me as I explore Malawi's most traditional fare.

00:07Hold your hat. It's gonna get a little weird.

00:10I'm Zahir Elias, fashion designer, comedian, and gender rights activist.

00:19Growing up mixed race with multiple cultural influences has opened me up to a kaleidoscope of experiences,

00:25but traditional food hasn't been one of them.

00:28Hardly anyone knows how diverse Malawi actually is,

00:32and all the different people have brought their food along with their own culture.

00:37Is Zahir ready to taste the real Malawi?

00:42There are some pretty interesting food choices my people make,

00:46but I'm willing to test myself as a Malawian.

00:48So I'm gonna start with the dish that came last, Nsima.

00:53Yummy, yummy, yummy.

00:55Malawi's staple food is Nsima.

00:57During the rainy season, every 3 cm of land is used to grow maize.

01:02It is dried, then crushed or ground into powder and cooked with water.

01:07Nsima is actually common throughout Southern Africa.

01:10So what is the real Malawian touch to it?

01:13The thing that makes Nsima typical is its green garden vegetables.

01:16Many Malawians have gardens or rather fields where they grow a variety of fruits and vegetables.

01:22This includes okra and masambo de indera, greens with peanut powder.

01:28Greens with peanut powder.

01:30Not only does it sound delicious, it's also rich in protein.

01:34And if homegrown, not expensive either.

01:37So it's actually a win-win for Zahir.

01:40If it weren't for the okra, because...

01:42The popular vegetable is not so popular with Zahir because it's wet.

01:47It's a slime that I struggle with.

01:49I mean, greens are okay without the okra,

01:52but I love my meat.

01:55Kampai!

01:59That may be because of the South African part of Zahir,

02:02who thinks of vothrols and basic stews as normal street food,

02:07and has never had the local indigenous Malawi cuisine at home,

02:11even though he was born and raised here.

02:13But isn't food an essential part of our identity?

02:18My mom moved here in the 70s.

02:21Originally from South Africa.

02:23And my dad is basically a human cocktail,

02:26so Malawian, Indian, Middle Eastern and Scottish.

02:30But despite being Malawian born,

02:32I never truly explored what it means to be truly Malawian

02:36or tasted many Malawian dishes.

02:41Okay, if Zahir is already messed up with the okra, what's next?

02:45One thing is for sure.

02:46Meat has to be on the table now.

02:49How about tripe?

02:50Alright, tumbwana is a regional dish that's usually boiled to death.

02:54But because Malawi produces a lot of soil, sunflower and peanut oil,

02:59I guess fried tripe makes sense.

03:01I actually like it.

03:02But usually in a coloured household,

03:04you would spice it to the max.

03:07That's what gives it a lot of flavour.

03:09A bit gamey, but good.

03:11I like it.

03:14And for lucky number three?

03:16Well, I guess not if you're the bird.

03:19There is a special seasonal delicacy in Malawi.

03:22Swallows.

03:24These migratory birds are still caught by boys in rural areas

03:27in the traditional way.

03:29It looks like they're fishing.

03:30But instead of jambo at Lake Malawi,

03:33it's swallows in the air.

03:36Popo.

03:36These fried swallows are found at almost every market in Malawi.

03:40Um, let's have a bite.

03:44Mmm.

03:45Okay, that's surprising.

03:46Oh my God.

03:47I was expecting something else.

03:48I'm not going to eat the bones.

03:52You know what, it kind of tastes like liver.

03:54Maybe because they're actually like a very small dried duck.

03:57Zahir said it would be quite weird.

03:59Okay, for him, the okra was almost inedible.

04:02Although the swallows were not without their problems either.

04:05And we're only halfway through the list of traditional Malawian dishes.

04:09Let's see how weird it does get.

04:11Now,

04:14second on my list and fourth for me to try

04:16is actually a little bit quirky.

04:20Uh, you say kebab isn't quirky.

04:22Well, that's because you don't know what's in it.

04:25It's mice. That's it.

04:26It's just, it's just mice.

04:29Across the region,

04:30field mice provide free protein

04:33for whoever is quick or crafty enough to catch them.

04:36In Malawi, there's a whole industry around drying the mice with salt.

04:41Hole.

04:42These are then sold in kebabs to take home and cook with relish.

04:46They're served whole. Teeth, bones, tail, everything.

04:50From your CEO to your humble laborer,

04:53you can bring the taste of the village to your villa in Lilongwe for less than a euro.

04:57Well, bone up the teeth.

05:07Well, if the mice only made second place on Zahir's list,

05:10what on earth is the first place for traditional

05:13and possibly weird, but genuinely traditional Malawian dishes?

05:17I've had to psych myself up for the next one because

05:20I have an existential case of orthopterophobia,

05:24which is the fear of grasshoppers.

05:28Now, because inquiring minds around the world want to know if I'm actually going to...

05:35No, no, no, no, no.

05:38While tasting Malawi's traditional, but to him, unfamiliar dishes,

05:41Zahir learned that many of these street foods are available throughout Southern Africa.

05:46What makes Malawi so unique?

05:48I think we as Malawians are proud people to give up our

05:51simple fare for superficial sophistication.

05:54Besides the cooked grasshoppers, which definitely freaked me out,

05:59I feel much more closer to my Malawian side.

06:01And instead of thinking of these things as weird,

06:05I'd like to thank you for coming on a journey with me to explore

06:08five of Malawi's best indigenous flavours.

06:13Mom, I brought home takeaways!

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