An adventure in my tummy !

I am an explorer and I do not limit myself to just exotic places. I also take the opportunity to explore different food places in my country. Zambia has very diverse cuisine options, and this past weekend i got the chance to visit a restaurant called Mpotu Yatu which can be translated to my pot in english. Mpoto yatu is known for its Zambian traditional food but it also has an international selection of meals.

                                                                  

  

        The picture on the right is what we call shoka nyama in Zambian local language. Shoka nyama means grilled meat in English. One thing about Zambians is that we love most of  our meats grilled and well done. These meats are usually served with nshima, rice or fries, but mainly nshima because that is our staple food.    

On the left is an image of our staple meal. The white substance is called Nshima which can be pronounced as in-she-ma. It is a type of starch that can be made from maize meal or cassava meal. However, in Zambia we mostly use maize meal because maize is the commonly grown crop.   Nshima can be served with any type of stew and vegetables, but i had it with pork trotters, beans and cassava leaves mixed with groundnuts which are also called visashi. 

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                 

Mpotu yatu has a very ethnic setting, from its decor to its music. Once you enter you already begin to feel the culture. It is filled with traditional baskets on the walls that were used in the past to collect food. The walls were also covered with old fashioned  braziers to add on to the ethnic feel.  I had a great time here and this is a place where you get a feel of tradition in an urban setting.