Tuesday, May 22, 2012

UMNGQUSHO RECIPE- A Nelson Mandela's favorite foodie . FISH FRIKKADEL RECIPE- Cape malays

AFRICAN CUISINE

MNGGUSHO RECIPE- Nelson Mandela's favorite

FISH FRIKKADEL RECIPE- of the Cape Malays

African cuisine is a term generally referring to the cuisines of Africa. Being the second  largest land mass on Earth, the continent of Africa is home to hundreds of different cultural and ethnic groups. This is reflected in the diverse local culinary traditions in terms of choice of ingredients, style of preparation and cooking techniques.
The continent's many populations: Central Africa, East, North and South and the Horn of Africa each have their own distinctive dishes, eating and drinking habits.
BLUE CRANE- the national bird of South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA
THE ‘CRADLE OF HUMANKIND’ AND THE SAFARI
South Africa has two capital cities, Pretoria and Cape Town a mother city. 
I would love to visit this country especially Cape Town and Johannesburg – which I believe will be a tour that will exceed my expectations. 
Reading on, I would definitely want the unique experience  of a South African safari at the Kruger national park
The safari waterhole

South Africa has several sites where ancient fossils are found to have  existed way back 3 million years ago. Discoveries include human fossils and the homonini fossils, which are actually species and ancestor lineages of the chimpanzee. 
These fossil sites are known as “Cradle of Humankind”  and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

THIS POST IS PART III OF A FOUR PART SERIES ON AFRICAN CUISINE- ON 
SOUTH  AFRICAN COOKING:
Part 1 check here  on East African cuisine
Part 2 check here   on North African cuisine

Southern African cooking
The cooking of South Africa is sometimes called 'rainbow cuisine '
It is a name  given, since  the food in this region is a blend of many cultures – the indigenous African tribal societies, the European and  the Asian.
The indigenous people of Southern Africa were divided into two main groups and several sub groups.
The largest group are the Bantu-speakers, whose descendants are identified by various sub-group such as the Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Sotho, Tswana, Pedi, Shangaan and Tsonga.
Two thousand years ago, they came and introduce crop cultivation, animal husbandry etc. so the Bantu-speakers  became agriculturalists and herdsmen, rearing cattle, sheep and goats.

The primeval residents of the region is a smaller group, the Khoisan, who some archaeologists believe, had lived in the region for at least ten thousand years. Many descendants of the Khoisan people have now been incorporated into the colored population of South Africa. 

Potjiekos is a traditional Afrikaner stew made with meat and vegetables and   cooked over coals in cast iron pots.
The Bantu speakers ate dishes of grain, meat, milk and vegetables, as well as fermented grain and fermented milk products.
The Khoi-Khoi (khoisan) ate meat and milk, and the San hunted wild animals and gathered wild tubers and vegetables.

South African cuisine is heavily meat-based and the daily food of Black South African families can be traced to the indigenous foods of their ancestors. The Khoisan ate roasted meat, and they do dried meat for later use. The influence of their diet is reflected in the universal Southern African love of barbecue in their social gatherings (generally called in South Africa by its Afrikaans name, a "Braai") and Biltong (dried preserved meat).

Mageu, a traditional non-alcoholic drink made from fermented mealie pap is popular among many of the Nguni people.
Milk was historically one of the most important diet components. They enjoy drinking sour milk products, comparable to American buttermilk, yogurt and sour cream. On weekends they will have a "Braai" and the meal would usually consist of "Pap and Vleis," which is maize porridge and grilled meat.

The basic ingredients include seafood, meat products (including wild game like venison, ostrich and impala), poultry, as well as grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Like any other countries, South Africa too has its own unique recipes. To my personal opinion, here are a few:

-Walkie Talkies-  Grilled or deep-fried chicken heads and feet
-Vetkoek- fat cake.  A deep-fried dough balls typically stuffed with meat or   served with snoek fish or jam.
-Mashonza, made from the mopane worm.- the caterpillar of a moth species found locally and is an important source of protein for millions of indigenous South Africans.
-Rusks, a rectangular, hard, dry  biscuit eaten after being dunked in tea or coffee.

-Water blommetjie (water flower stew), meat  stewed with the flower of the Cape Pondweed.

Umngqusho , is a favorite traditional dish of the Xhosa people in South Africa made of samp and cowpeas. Samp  is a de-hulled dried corn been crushed or broken into pieces which are then easier to cook and eat.  Cowpeas are a variety of the black-eyed pea.
UMNGQUSHO RECIPE
  • What you need
  • four cups dry samp (broken maize/ corn kernels)
  • two cups dry cow peas (black-eyed peas/ field peas) or any similar beans
  • salt
  • What you do
  • Combine samp and cow peas in a large enamel pot or glass bowl. Add cold water sufficient to cover. Cover, and let stand overnight. Drain and rinse before cooking.
  • In a large pot. Cover the soaked samp and cowpeas mixture with cold water. Bring to a boil. Let boil for ten minutes. Reduce heat. Simmer on low heat for one to two hours, until all is tender and the water is mostly absorbed. Add additional water during cooking if needed.
  • Season with salt. Serve hot.b
  • This ancient have been improvised by adding butter, potatoes, onions and chili.... with some lemon juice.
Many websites report that umngqusho is said to be  the anti apartheid activist and former President Nelson Mandela’s  favorite dish (he is a Xhosa clan). It is usually described as "stamp mealies. His autobiography describes the more traditional umngqusho.  .
 Something for all of us to reflect upon 
South African former President, Nelson Mandela describes the umngqusho of his youth in "Long Walk to Freedom".

FISH FRIKKADEL RECIPE
I do have one  South African  cape malay recipe, Fish frikkadel , which is a guest post by my South African blogger friend., Miss Rawiyah, a cape malay. (ancestors of the Malays from Malaysia, who migrated to South Africa). I received almost daily visits on this recipe, Since June 01 – check here 

Society and culture.
For the love of culture and art, here.. i still want to put the Zulu dancers image in this post- ha ha. Like i can vividly hear the sounds of the drums and their husky guttural humming, being part of the musical instrument and also   the rapid stamping of their feet.. wish i am there :)

  Sources check here,  here   and here  and other sources.

46 comments:

  1. What a fantastic looking dish. Great post!

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  2. hi yummy chunklet, yes, their dishes yummy and their country beautiful. have a nice day dear

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  3. Thats plenty of infor Maznah and many of it I was not aware of. Just like you, I hope to visit Cape Town someday. Similarly, I have not heard of the beans recipe though I our local beans for spicy dishes.

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    1. hi nava, cape town and Johannesburg are great places to visits and the park too- most of my friends been there.
      have a nice day

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  4. Hi Wan,:) Thanks as always!:)Very informative, and you're right as what I've read through your post, lots of delicious food that we must try too,:)

    I would love to try some of their dishes one day!:) Muaaahhhhhhhhh..:) More hug my sweet friend..:) Keep sharing!:)

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    1. hi linda, every country has their own authentic dishes, i only we know.. i guess this recipe is delicious, would love to try it soon... flavorful. have a nice day dear, hugs and more hugs

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    1. hi julie, yes and thanks, oooooooo i dont have a recipe featuring pepper corns and ginger as star ingredients- sorry maam..have a nice day

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  6. Great post dear,there is plenty of information,first pic is really interesting,delicious spread and so colorful. I am really curious to know what those dishes are:)
    The Umngqumsho is a healthy recipe and so is fish frikkadel and also a special thanks to Miss Rawiyah,Have a wonderful day:)

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    1. hi suja, thank you for your sweet comments- wish i knew what those yellow and red dishes are.. may be you can guess better.. well, along the way in blogging, if i see a striking yellow like that one, i will info you asap. ha ha. have a nice day and thanks n behalf of rawiyah

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  7. We love traveling but my daughter specially has mentioned to take a vacation to experience African safari.
    The recipes do look unique, deep fried chicken heads and they eat caterpillar. I guess we all eat strange things which we do not know. The other day my daughter told me the natural red color which I use in baking actually come from beetle insects. After knowing this I was thinking to use natural or artificial.
    Some great information and I do cook cow peas and we call it 'Raungi'.

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    1. hi balvinder, ooops! before you go to this land of rainbow cuisine, you surf the net first, for some dishes you like and write their names, then you know what suits your palate best- i think you and i like spicy food and open to try others...me not keen on sweet stuff.
      yes, every country has strange foodies. we all eat strange things(?) ha ha. you give me a tummy ache. have an nice day

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  8. Wonderful post dear..nice to know about the African culture and cuisine, especially Nelson Mandelas fav :)

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    1. hi sobha, thanks for your sweet comments.. i had a very deep reflection of Mr Nelson Mandela and his Long walk to Freedom.. I really admire and respect him, his country must be so proud of him.. a clean leader who fought very hard for his people. its just a dream, how nice if he read this..ha ha have a nice day

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  9. wow..these dishes sounds absolutely lipsmacking..
    thanks for the interesting info abt their culture & food..
    wanna make a vacation soon to africa ..:)
    awesome post again..:) hats off ..!!!

    Tasty Appetite

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    1. hi jay, south africa has many beautiful spots to visit and great shopping too...you will go crazy over those semi precious stones.. have a nice day

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  10. ini bagus sangat untuk menambah wawasan

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    1. hi cik awi, kamu jugak ada wawasan yang bagus--untuk masa depan- teruskan. saya suka inisiatif awi.have a nice day

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  11. I've tried several African recipes - loved them all.
    Great colourful post...
    (Send me your address please!)

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    1. hi jasna, oh ya? i will check out the african recipes in your blog then..i just email you mmy add. have a nice day

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  12. Interesting recipe. Although, I wonder how they pronounce 'Umngqusho'?

    Thank you for the information. Have a nice day! ^^

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    1. hi nash, i also dont know the exact pronounciation- even brittanica did not state it... cant be help.. have a nice day- wish a nice south african put a comment..

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  13. Sounds interesting! Thanks for all of the good information you share with us!

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    1. thanks ambreen for your sweet comment and have a nice day

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  14. hi delicious adventure- thank you for coming over- glad to know you and read your sweet comment. have a nice day

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  15. hello Wan..thank you for visiting me on my site..I was sick and still recovering so I am just visiting some of my closest friends..I'll get back back with you all soon..hugs ;)

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    1. hi sie, thanks dear for your visit. hope you recover soonest. will visit you again. take care as always..
      hugs to you too

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  16. Interesting post with nice info about African culture and cuisine...Nice recipe too..

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    1. hi reshmi, thanks- i like to read on their culture too. have a nice day

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  17. mmmm...first time see africa dish..interesting post Wan!!!

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    1. hi cindyrina, thanks a lot for the lemon olive oil tip..wanna try soon. have a nice day-
      next time you go south africa tour

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  18. Maravillosos post adoro Africa un país fascinante,gracias por publicar esta comida linda y riquísima,abrazos hugs,hugs.

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    1. hi rosita, thank you dear. have a nice day.. i like your pastries. hugs hugs :)

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  19. Thank you for this post, my son just happens to be going to South Africa this summer, with a group called Athletes in Action, I will share this post with him on facebook. Give him a little preview!

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    1. hi 1-2Punch, how are you.. hope your son finds this post useful- foodie tips i mean. happy sporting and holidaying to him. have a nice day

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  20. This is the coolest post of the day!

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    1. hi love2dine- o ya? may be and hope you will find mine, to be the coolest every day, besides yours of course. ha ha.
      have a nice day

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  21. Hi CV,
    The Umngqusho dish must be very nutritious combining and peas,and corn. Those days when I was breastfeeding the Chinese advised me to take red kidney beans (healthy source of protein and iron) to help increase milk production and I had prepared almost similar to the recipe above, took it daily.

    My doter was a die-hard fan of the late Steve Irwin, her one time ambition was to become a Vet so she can work with animals and had pleaded so many times tht I take a trip with her to the African Safaris.A must visit place for all animal lovers I suppose?

    Tks for such informative write-up..

    Cheers

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  22. Replies
    1. hi diana, i heard of it but only now i know how it looks like. have a nice day

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  23. I guess this info is totally unique.
    simple recipes

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  25. From Robert Hall via Email form..
    I just came across your post about Umngqusho. The closest way that a non-South African can pronounce it is "Oom-goo-show." I live in the USA, and use this pronunciation when explaining the dish to family and friends. The letter "Q" in isiXhosa (and many other Nguni languages--the language family that isiXhosa belongs to) is pronounced as a click: place the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth, and pull it down. The letters "C" and "X" are also clicks. (The "C" click is made by placing the tip of your tongue on your top front teeth and pulling it away.
    The "X" click is made by putting the side of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and pulling it down--the same sound as if one were calling for a horse.)
    Here is a brief clip of a lady cooking umngqusho:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeP682M3q8Q

    Here is a link to Ubuntu Bridge, a company in Cape Town that teaches people to speak the Xhosa and Zulu languages (they are very close to each other): http://www.learnxhosa.co.za/

    Happy cooking (and clicking)! Robert Hall


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    1. Thank you so much Robert for your mail...will watch the video. have a nice day

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  26. Your articles and contents are inspirational.
    vegetable recipes

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