When the meat is soft, it is then pounded. The meat is flavored with salt, pepper and onion. When it is finished, it looks similar to the meat on a sloppy joe (sloppy joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef, onions, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun)!
Morogo is finely chopped spinach that is cooked on the stove with tomato, onion, green pepper and salt.
When these dishes are made to feed a couple of people, they are just cooked on the stovetop. But, when they are cooked for a lot of people, they are made in pitsa (a traditional pot made from cast iron).
Botswana is a semi-arid country - this means that the environment is very dry and only a little rainy. This has an impact on the food that is grown because Botswana can be very hot. So, only vegetables that can survive in the heat without much water are planted. Batswana (the people of Botswana) rely on their crops to feed their communities. Crops that can grow in hot and dry conditions include wheat, maize and spinach/cabbage.
This year, the mopane worms did not come. Usually, the rainy season in Botswana is from November to March. But, this year, it was too hot and dry. So, the rainy season was very short and the mopane eggs did not hatch. This is a great example of how the local environment is connected to the food.
