What Are We Eating?

Mirriam Thole has been preparing typical Zambian dishes for us three times a day. Truly we've eaten more of a variety of foods than in the states. Breakfast normally consists of tea and bread with jam or peanut butter. Some mornings we have porridge mixed with peanut butter or ground nuts. For lunch and supper we must have nshima as Pastor Thole doesn't believe he's eaten unless he has had nshima. Nshima is similiar to grits, only stiffer. A relish is served with nshima and is a sauce that contains vegetables and sometimes chicken or soy pieces. Some of the native dishes she's prepared have been sweet potato leaves (kalembuloa), cabbage, visache (vegetables with ground nuts), chihuahua (no, not the dog, but a leaf), rape, mushrooms (boa), and beans. We were a bit nervous about trying the kapenta, an oily fish like minnows. Eating them with their eyes looking at us didn't appeal to us either. But, the Lord had mercy on us as two of the nights we had them (fresh and dried), the electricity was out! Kapenta tastes like crunchy french fries, only fishy. Dessert usually consists of fruit like bananas, pineapple, or fresh mango. Yum!