the zambian food series, part ten: nshima ya cassava
cassava — manihot esculenta — introduced to africa through portuguese trade routes in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. now one of the most important food crops in sub-saharan africa — resilient to drought and poor soils, capable of being left in the ground for months as a natural storage system.
in zambia, cassava is the dominant food crop in northern province and luapula province. the bemba, the ushi, the aushi, the shila, the bwile — communities whose traditional food culture is built around cassava rather than maize. their nshima is cassava nshima — ubwali in cibemba — by default and by preference.
the preparation of ubwali begins with cassava flour processed from fermented cassava roots. the fermentation — soaking fresh roots in water for several days before drying and grinding — reduces cyanogenic compounds and develops the slightly sour, fermented flavour that distinguishes processed cassava flour from the bland non-fermented product.
the cooking method mirrors maize nshima: boiling water, gradual flour addition with constant stirring, cooking to correct stiffness. but the result is different. cassava nshima is whiter — sometimes almost luminously white — and slightly more elastic than maize nshima. stickier, with a slight resistance when pulled apart, a subtle sourness from the fermented flour. a milder flavour that lets the relish's flavour dominate more completely.
for bemba families who grew up eating ubwali, maize nshima can feel too light, too sweet, too lacking in the specific texture and flavour that food memory has encoded as correct. the food that you grew up eating is the food that feels correct. the food that deviates — even in small ways — feels like a substitution.
cassava nshima is also the food of resilience in a more specific sense than maize. cassava roots can be left in the ground and harvested as needed. the cassava field is a living food bank, accessible when the granary is empty.
the other foundation food. not less than maize nshima. different from it. the food that the north built its food culture on.
the zambian food series continues. 🇿🇲🍲
