Swazi Recipes
5 recipesEswatini is a small landlocked kingdom in southern Africa, and its food is built on maize, sorghum and the seasons. The daily meal centers on sishwala, a stiff maize porridge, eaten with a relish called umbidvo, which might be cooked greens, pumpkin leaves with peanuts, beans or a meat stew. Porridges come in many forms: sour, sweet with pumpkin, or thickened with mashed peanuts or beans. Whole maize kernels are boiled as tinkhobe, and corn on the cob is roasted or boiled at roadside markets. Sour milk, called emasi, is stirred into ground maize or sorghum, and emahewu, a thin fermented maize drink, is popular at home. Goat and beef are the favored meats, grilled, stewed or dried as umncweba, a biltong-style snack. Seasoning is mild, with salt, onion and a little chili. Food is simple, filling and shared, and beer brewed from maize meal is made for gatherings in rural areas.
Staple ingredients
- maize meal
- sorghum
- pumpkin and pumpkin leaves
- peanuts
- sugar beans
- sour milk (emasi)
- goat and beef
- spinach and other greens
Breakfast
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Sishwala (Swazi Stiff Maize Porridge)SZ35 minEasy
Tinkhobe (Swazi Boiled Whole Maize)SZ2 h 40 minEasy
Drinks
Common questions
What is Swazi food known for?
Maize porridge (sishwala) eaten with relishes like umbidvo, pumpkin and peanut dishes, sour milk, boiled maize (tinkhobe) and dried meat (umncweba). The cooking is simple, hearty and mild.
What is the national dish of Eswatini?
There is no official one, but sishwala served with a meat stew or a relish of greens is the everyday meal most Swazis would name.
Is Swazi food spicy?
No. Seasoning is mild, mostly salt, onion and a little chili. The flavor comes from the ingredients themselves, such as peanuts, pumpkin leaves, sour milk and slow-cooked meat.