I was confident that I would like fat cakes and I was right! The best ones are served while they are still fresh and warm.
I have tried several other dishes, such as setswa [sets-wa], which is pounded meat, butternut squash, and sugar beans that are very fresh and delicious. I am less convinced about trying mopane [mow-pon-e] (worms), but so far, I haven’t been offered any.
Most food is prepared at home. Many houses have an outdoor kitchen, where food is cooked over a fire or a gas burner. This helps keep the heat outside and the electric bill down. The kitchen is sometimes shared among people who live in the same yard. The outdoor kitchen may not have running water or electricity. It is mainly workspace for cutting and mixing.
Some people have gardens or fruit trees in their yards. They may grow things you are familiar with, such as tomatoes, cabbage, or apples. They may also have native or indigenous crops like marama [ma-ra-ma] beans, which are rich in protein and oil that are boiled or roasted and ground like cashews. The roots can be dried and ground into flour. Moreogo [more-oh-hoe] are leafy greens that are chopped and cooked like spinach. Custard apples, called motsentsela [mow-tsin-see-la], have a thick peel, and kernels inside like pomegranates with custard inside of them. You have to eat them slowly, but they are really yummy!
Fresh items, like tomatoes or watermelon, are only sold in season, not year-round.
