In Botswana, I have tried many new foods. Seswaa is a meat dish which is the national dish of Botswana! Seswaa is often made from beef.
I also tried morogo (pronounced moroho). Morogo is a vegetable dish that is made from spinach.
I felt very brave when I tried mopane worms! They are called ‘worms,’ but they are actually caterpillars. You can find mopane worms crawling around the northern parts of Botswana in December and April. They are a popular snack and a delicacy – a food that is considered very special.
Finally, there is my favorite – magwinya (a fried ball of dough)!
When I first came to Botswana, I was a vegetarian (meaning I did not eat meat). But I wanted to try all the food in Botswana! I was a little nervous to try seswaa, but I’m glad that I did. It was delicious! I can understand why it is the national dish of the country – the meat is so tender and flavorful.
When it came to morogo and magwinya, I was very excited. Even though I had not tried these dishes before, they reminded me of food from home. For example, the outside of a magwinya reminded me a little of fried dough from the local county fair.
Mopane worms were a tough bite to swallow – at first! These caterpillars are different than anything I have tried before. But, I wanted to try them because many locals recommend them. I counted down from three, ‘three, two, one…’ Then I took a bite. It turns out that they are tasty – and similar to jerky.
