Hungry hungry hippo

One of the common questions I get from family and friends is, "What do you EAT in Africa?" Well, the answer is... Regular food. Most people (where I live, at least) don't have ribs and bones jutting out of their emaciated bodies like you see on the posters of charities. In fact, the opposite might be true. In this culture, it's good to be "forte" (strong) and even "gordo" (fat). Women will either cluck their tongues and tell me I'm "emagracer"-ing (getting skinny) or be very pleased that I am "engordar"-ing (getting fat). In the past, Africans were encouraged to eat as many carbs as possible so now it's ingrained- use tons of oil to cook, eat lots of bread and xima, love mayonnaise.
Malnutrition is most common in children, who will sometimes have big bloated what I call "xima bellies." Xima, as I've said before, s basically corn ground into flour and then cooked with water to make a dense mashed-potato-looking substance. Xima is to Mozambique as rice is to Asian countries; it's present at every meal. In the morning, Mozambicans might make a more watery version of xima as porridge. I am personally not a fan of xima, because it's really heavy and tends to sit in my stomach like a rock.
When it comes to veggies, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes can be found year-round. Veggies that are available occasionally throughout the year: Eggplant, okra, bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, cassava, carrots. Fruits are a definite come-and-go: Mangoes, pineapples, oranges and tangerines, passion fruit, lichi, mafoura*, masala**, lemons, avocados***, and each one has their season There is either an abundance of something or a complete lack of it. During mango season, for example, I'd be eating four or five mangoes a day ("During mango season, no one goes hungry") and slipping on piles of rotting mangoes falling from the trees, unclaimed. Then, one day, there was suddenly not a mango to be found, and pineapples were everywhere.

*Mafoura is a bright red fruit that is often made into a sweet drink. My sitemate once compared its taste to dirt but I kind of like it, despite its slightly bitter taste. It's said to cause drowsiness.

** Masala is a hard green fruit that is opened by cracking it against a hard surface. Inside, it looks like a mass of brown brains and tastes like a mix between cinnamon and bubble gum.

*** Avocados here are not of the dinky variety. The seed can be the size of a tennis ball. Mozambicans mash the avocado flesh (like guacamole) and then add SUGAR and lime (not like guacamole). It's not bad but it's strange because in America, avocado is paired with salty not sweet foods.

Other Mozambican specialties: Matapa, a dish made with greens, coconut, and peanuts. Cacana, a super bitter green that is also cooked with coconut and peanut. Fish cooked with coconut and peanut. (See a pattern?) French fries, signature soggy and dripping in oil. Chamussas, which are like empanadas, fried crunchy and filled with meat. Rissois, one of my favorite foods, soft fried breaded turnovers filled with shrimp. Bajiyas, which sell for 1mt each, are fried bean patties that people eat with bread. Feijoada, a tasty bean stew.
The only spices that Mozambicans use in cooking are salt and "caldo" which is a powdered chicken bouillon that comes in a yellow packet. Anything else is considered "piri-piri" (hot sauce).
Popular proteins: eggs, chicken (bought live), goat. Less frequent: beef (only on special occasions), shrimp.
So there you have it. A little different, but nothing too exotic. In more "mato" sites, especially in the north, produce is a lot harder to come by so I'm very lucky to have such a variety of food. My friend in Tete once tried grilled rat, with the dried rats sold by the stick in his neighborhood. Gross. Thank goodness I've never been that desperate.