I love exploring my local market and sampling the fresh fruits and vegetables grown here in Mozambique.I’ve had the pleasure of learning how to prepare traditional dishes such as fish, kale, matapa and xima. What are these foods? Read on!
Almost all traditional meals in Mozambique include a side potato fries, kale, or xima. Xima is a porridge made from corn flour. I have tried all of these as well as beans, fish, and matapa. Matapa is a stew made from cassava leaves, that taste something like spinach. The stew also has onion, garlic and coconut milk. Sometimes it also has nuts or shrimp in it.
My favorite meal that I have tried has been the matapa! What I love about matapa is its creamy texture and flavor created from cooking grated coconut with ground peanuts and kale. It is such a unique dish!
All meals are prepared in pans or pots over a charcoal stove or open fire. A dish such as matapa needs three to four hours to cook!
