Nshima: A Staple Food in Zambia

Today, Rev. Rebecca Jones is sharing a very special meal from Africa with us. Rebecca is near and dear to the hearts of our Covenant Presbyterian Church family. She is currently living in Zambia and working with Theological Education by Extension.  If you would like to know more about Rebecca or her work, please visit her blog at A Year in Zambia. 

{Rebecca stirring a pot of Nshima in Zambia, summer 2012}

Nshima is the staple food of Zambia. It is basically a very thick porridge made from finely ground corn meal, called mealie meal. It is served in lumps and eaten with the hands.  To eat it, you break off a bit just smaller than a golf ball and kneed it in the palm of your hand until it is easy to work with and becomes a ball. You make an indentation in the ball with your thumb to make a sort of spoon, then scoop up whatever relish is served along with it (relish can be anything from a tomato and onion based sauce to vegetables to meats). You then eat the nshima and relish together.

Nshima itself does not have much taste, so it is the relish that can make or break the meal.  In my time in Zambia I have had a wide array of nshimas and relishes.  Meals with nshima are traditionally eaten with only one hand, which can become tricky when trying to eat a relish of a whole fish or large pieces of meat.  My favorite meals with nshima tend to include beans or village chicken (think free range chicken but tastier).

{Lumps of Nshima}

So how do you make nshima?  This is a tricky question and each Zambian I have talked to has given me slightly different instructions and measurements have never been mentioned. You need two basic ingredients – mealie meal (very finely ground corn meal) and water. Nshima can also be made with cassava or anything starchy that can be pounded into a fine meal. The simplest instructions are to bring a pot of water to the boil, then slowly add the mealie meal, stirring vigorously, until the nshima becomes the right consistency. This can be quite a workout as the nshima becomes thicker and thicker. If you are making nshima for a few people on your stovetop this can be done in a few minutes, but if you are making a large pot for a group it can take quite a while. I have seen nshima cooked most often in a large pot over an open fire with two women both helping to stir as it thickens and a third to slowly add the mealie meal.

{Stirring the pot, in a good way}

Two of the best variations I have come across are as follows.  In the first variation you do not let the water come all the way to the boil but add the mealie meal just before it boils.  The other variation is to add a little bit of room temperature water to the mealie meal to make a paste before adding it to the boiling water.  I must admit that the second variation did produce some very tasty nshima!  If you would like to try your hand at making nshima and want an exact recipe, just type “nshima” into your favorite internet search engine.  Or try it the Zambian way – add a bit of mealie meal at a time until thick enough to eat with your hands (it should be about the consistency of soft Play-Doh but stickier).  Then, with a wet serving spoon, scoop out in fist-sized lumps and enjoy with your choice of relish!

{Nshima with greens and beans}

Enjoy!

Love,

Rebecca (& Kristin)

 

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This post was originally written as part of the Olympic Feasts at The Schell Cafe series. During the 2012 London Games, we celebrated with meals and stories from around the globe. This recipe is just as delicious today as it was then! 

(Last edited on March 29, 2019.)

 

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