A FOOD TRADITION

Zulu cuisine

Zulu cuisine is associated especially with KwaZulu-Natal and Zulu-speaking communities, while also participating in wider southern African foodways. Maize meal, sorghum, beans, pumpkins, leafy vegetables, amadumbe, fermented milk, and meat are important ingredients. Common techniques include boiling grains and legumes, steaming maize mixtures or breads, fermenting grain and milk, and grilling or stewing meat over wood fires. Recognizable examples include isijingi, a maize-and-pumpkin preparation; ujeqe, a steamed bread; and dishes of amadumbe served with relishes or stews. The tradition includes both household food and ceremonial cooking, with considerable variation between rural, urban, and coastal settings.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.