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?
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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!