BOTSWANA

Season 2 Episode 13

Botswana is a landlocked African country located in the Southern part of Africa sharing boundary with Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Angola. The Capital city of Botswana is Gaborone with a population of over 3 Million people.

It is well known for its landscape of the great Kalahari Desert that covers about 900,000 square kilometers also hosting the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Our focus for today and some weeks coming will be on Botswana culture. Today, we’d be looking at two main dishes of the Botswana people and how to prepare them.

Cornmeal Pap

Pap is a staple food in Botswana that is made from vegetable, chicken or beef broth and cornmeal. Pap acts as one of the basic foods for Botswanians as it is not expensive and it is easy to make.

Ingredients

• A cup of cornmeal
• Vegetable or chicken or beef broth
  

P.S. Broth is a savory liquid made from vegetables, meat scraps, chicken used as a base for soups, sauces, and other dishes

Method of Preparation

1. Put a pot on fire and pour some quantity of broth into the pot, then allow it to boil.
2. After boiling, gently add the cornmeal into boiling broth and stir it slowly with a stirring stick.
3. Add some broth and continue stirring till it thickens.
4. Allow to simmer for a few minutes.
5. Once the broth is thickened, turn off the heat and serve the pap.
   
   

Seswaa (Meat Stew)

This is the National dish of Botswana which is made from beef, goat, chicken or lamb by cooking with onion and pepper until the meat is soft, it is pounded and shredded. 

Ingredients

• 1 Kilogramme of beef
• Onion
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Water
• Vegetable oil
  

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oven to a certain temperature.
2. Add vegetable oil to a cooking dish. Cut the meat into chunks and put in the cooking dish and place it inside the oven till it becomes brown.
3. Cut the onions and add to the mixture, add salt to taste, black pepper, bay leaves and water, cover the dish and allow it to boil inside the oven.
4. After some hours of boiling, remove from the oven and place the cooking dish on a cooker and pound the mixture or make a marsh by using a wooden spoon until the meat begins to cut off.
5. Add seasoning to your preferred taste and Seswaa is ready to be eaten.
   
   

Written and edited by Ebenezer Oladokun