Staple Food

It’s called nshima. The ‘n’ is silent and it is the food that Zambia lives off of. Most Zambians eat nshima for at least one meal of the day, if not more. The best way I can think of to describe it based on what we have in America is thickened grits (same texture but it can hold its own shape liked mashed potatoes). Nshima usually accompanies a meal; it is served piping hot so be careful not to burn your fingers. You pinch off a piece of the nshima, roll it around in your hand, and then use it to pick up the meat and vegetables on your plate. The nshima itself does not have much flavor but it is extremely filling.  After eating nshima, you won’t be hungry for hours.

We had consumed nshima multiple times prior to today [there is a special at the hospital cafeteria for chicken and nshima for ten kwacha (equivalent to one dollar) every Friday that we always take advantage of] but this evening we learned how to make it ourselves with the help of our friends Jimmy and Potre! Nshima is made out of maize meal. I was surprised to find out how simple it is to make: wlavor ece of the nshima, roll it around in your hand, andal and you use it to pick ma forarm up water (but don’t boil it), sprinkle in the maize meal slowly while stirring, let it sit to thicken up, then add some more and keep stirring and before you know it, vualah, you have a masterpiece, nshima. Delicious!

Nshima family dinner