If You Really Want to Know Me, Feed Me: My Favourite Traditional Zimbabwean Meals

One question I get asked over and over again, whether I'm talking to friends here in Japan, meeting people from different parts of the world, or chatting with readers of Wander and Weave, is, "What is your favourite Zimbabwean meal?" I always laugh because whoever asks that question clearly doesn't realise how impossible it is to choose just one. Zimbabwe has such a rich food culture that every meal carries a story, a memory, and a feeling. But since so many of you have been curious, I thought it was finally time to answer the question. So, my lovelies, come hungry because today I'm taking you on a little culinary journey through the meals that instantly make me think of home.

If I had to begin anywhere, it would have to be with the meal that comforts my soul more than any other: sadza, muboora une dovi, and roadrunner chicken stew. If Zimbabwe had a national hug, I am convinced it would taste exactly like this. Sadza is the heart of almost every Zimbabwean table. Made simply from maize meal and water, it becomes a thick, smooth porridge that somehow manages to bring every other flavour on the plate together. It may sound plain to someone who has never tasted it, but don't be fooled. Sadza isn't trying to steal the spotlight; it quietly lets everything around it shine.

Then there is muboora une dovi, fresh pumpkin leaves gently simmered in creamy peanut butter. I know some of my international readers probably paused for a second when they read "peanut butter." Vegetables and peanut butter? Trust me, Zimbabweans discovered a combination that the rest of the world seriously needs to catch up on. The richness of the peanut butter perfectly balances the earthy flavour of the pumpkin leaves, creating something that is creamy, comforting and incredibly satisfying. It is one of those dishes that reminds you that sometimes the simplest ingredients create the most unforgettable meals.

Now let's talk about the roadrunner chicken. No, I'm not talking about the cartoon bird racing away from Wile E. Coyote. In Zimbabwe, free-range indigenous chickens are affectionately called "roadrunners" because they spend their lives running around villages instead of sitting comfortably in cages. That active lifestyle gives the meat a firm texture and an incredible depth of flavour. Unlike commercial chicken, you cannot rush this one. It demands patience. It is lightly seasoned, browned in its own natural fat and then slowly cooked for hours until the meat becomes beautifully tender and the gravy develops a richness that is honestly difficult to describe. It is one of those meals that fills the whole house with an aroma that lets everyone know dinner is going to be something special.

The experience of eating this meal is just as meaningful as the food itself. Traditionally, you don't reach for a knife and fork. Instead, everyone washes their hands before eating, often sharing a communal basin of water. Using your right hand, you break off a small piece of hot sadza, gently roll it into a ball, make a little indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up the creamy muboora and rich chicken gravy. Somehow, food eaten this way always tastes better. Maybe it's because you're more connected to it, or maybe it's simply because that's how generations before us have always enjoyed it.

Another meal that will forever have my heart is rice rine dovi served with bean stew and either goat or beef stew. Every time I introduce this dish to someone who isn't Zimbabwean, I can almost predict their reaction. "You mix peanut butter with rice?" they ask, usually with a slightly confused expression. My answer is always the same: "Don't judge it until you've tried it." Smooth, unsweetened peanut butter is folded into freshly cooked white rice until every grain becomes rich and creamy. It doesn't taste like dessert at all. Instead, it creates a wonderfully savoury dish that pairs beautifully with the rest of the meal.

The bean stew adds another layer of comfort. Slow-cooked with onions, garlic and tomatoes, the beans become soft and full of flavour. Beside them sits a generous serving of goat or beef stew, where chunks of meat have spent hours simmering in a tomato and onion gravy until they practically melt in your mouth. The beauty of this meal is that nothing stays neatly separated for long. The gravy slowly finds its way into the peanut butter rice, the beans blend into the stew, and before you know it every spoonful becomes a perfect combination of flavours. It's wonderfully messy, and honestly, that's exactly how it's supposed to be.

Then there is mutakura, a dish that I genuinely believe deserves worldwide recognition. Long before people started paying ridiculous amounts of money for protein bowls and superfoods, Zimbabweans had already mastered the art of creating one. Mutakura is made by boiling together dried maize, peanuts, cowpeas and nyimo until everything becomes perfectly tender. Known as Inkobe or Umphakulwa in Ndebele, it has been nourishing families for generations. The ingredients are soaked overnight before being cooked slowly together, allowing each one to soften while keeping its own unique texture.

One of the things I love most about mutakura is its simplicity. Traditionally, all it needs is a little salt because the natural flavours speak for themselves. These days, some families add peanut butter for extra richness while others use biofortified orange maize to increase the nutritional value. Whether enjoyed as lunch, dinner or an afternoon snack, mutakura reminds me that some of the healthiest and most satisfying meals don't come from expensive restaurants but from recipes lovingly passed down through generations.

Finally, we have another favourite that always feels like a celebration on a plate: sadza served with mazondo and leafy greens or sugar beans. If you've never heard of mazondo before, they are slow-cooked cow trotters. I know that might sound unusual to some readers, but hear me out before you make up your mind. Mazondo require patience. They spend hours gently simmering with onions and tomatoes until the meat becomes so tender it falls effortlessly from the bone, while the collagen creates a thick, silky gravy that coats every bite of sadza. It is rich, deeply satisfying and packed with flavour.

Because mazondo are wonderfully hearty, they are almost always served alongside green vegetables such as covo, rape or muboora. Lightly sautéed with onions and tomatoes, the vegetables add freshness and balance to the meal. Many families also include slow-cooked sugar beans, which bring another comforting layer of texture and earthiness. Every bite reminds you that Zimbabwean cuisine is all about balance, richness paired with freshness, simplicity paired with incredible flavour.

As I sit here in Japan writing this blog, I realise these meals are so much more than food. They remind me of family gathered around one table, of Sunday afternoons filled with laughter, of neighbours dropping by unexpectedly and somehow staying long enough to share lunch. They remind me of home. Food has this incredible ability to carry memories across oceans, and no matter how far away I travel, one taste of peanut butter greens, mutakura or perfectly cooked sadza instantly takes me back to Zimbabwe.

So, there you have it, my lovelies. The meals that make my heart happiest and my stomach even happier. If you've never tried Zimbabwean food before, I hope this little journey has tempted you to step outside your comfort zone. And if you're Zimbabwean, I have just one question for you, which of these meals would you choose if you could only eat one for the rest of your life? Personally, I still can't decide, and perhaps that's because every one of these dishes tells a different chapter of the beautiful story that is Zimbabwe.