Nsima and Goat Burgers with a Side of Goat Kebab

Everyone has been asking me about the food here, so a quick post on what Malawian cuisine.

The main staple for Malawians is nsima, a thick porridge/paste of maize flower that is eaten with every mea. It comes in a sort of patty form, you break of a small piece and use it to dip into the vegetables or meat. Think injera from Ethiopian food but more free form. I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. I'm lucky enough to be staying at Kayesa Inn where we have great cooks. every night there is nsima, rice, greens, usually another vegetable, and chicken. A tomato-based sauces is also served to pour over the rice, etc. Last night however we (well the meat-eaters) were in for a treat. There was a new cook in town and he made goat bugers and goat kebabs. He must be a soul-brother to serge because the kebabs were made on bike spoke skewers. I alomst hit the floor when I saw those - and here I thought we only did that at our house! Needless to say, I had a lot of veggies last night.

There are some things I miss already - like soy milk. There is no milk to speak of in Malawi other than powdered and the occasional milk in a box. Haven't quite worked up to either of those. Also there is no salad to speak of, although I did score some tomatos and cucumbers from the market today.

And there are of course the odd things that you find in developing nations that you can't figure out why they are there and so cheap. For example Irish Gold Butter, why gourmet butter?

and Carlsberg beer, not that I am complaining .