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Food in Zambia is basically synonymous with nshima, maize porridge, which is the staple food. Nshima is the staple food for 10 million Zambians. It is eaten mostly for lunch and dinner. It is eaten with a side dish, known as ndiwo, umunani, dende or relish, this must always accompany nshima. The relish is always a deliciously cooked vegetable, meat, fish, or poultry dish. By comparison to other cultures, Zambian recipes tend to be bland and hardly use any hot spices at Nshima with chicken all.We eat rice as well and occasionally also pasta. Rice is also cultivated in Zambia, especially in the Western province. The protein sources vary depending on the time of year and your location, the most common are fish, sausages, beef, chicken, eggs and beans. The vegetables are often impwas, okra or some leafy greens such as pumpkin leaves, rape, and sweet potato leaves . In comparison to most western diets the proportion of meat is fairly small. However the meat is eaten regularly. However, there is a protein source that most people says they prefer over beef: caterpillars. They have a very high protein content, so in that way they are an important part of the traditional Zambian diet. They are an quired taste most people are not too enthusiastic about them initially. They are not a big part of our diet though since they tend to be seasonal. Fish is common in most households, either cooked fresh or dried. Although fresh fish is available in most urban areas, once you get closer to water, the fish is often excellent. A specific type of fish is kapenta, which is a very tiny fish. It used to be one of the cheapest protein sources but apparently isn't anymore. Vegetables are almost always cooked. It is very rare to have a salad as part of a Zambian traditional meal. Spices are not commonly used in Zambia although salt is used a lot. There are many customs related to eating. Before eating, we wash our hands. It is tradition to have a dish filled with water, and the man (the head of the house) washes his hands there first and then the rest in some sort of rank order. As you can imagine this was not the most hygienic way to wash your hands, in recent Hand washing before a meal years there has been a move away from this custom, in it's place we have a separate jug for fresh water, from which we can pour water on the hands. Traditionally everything throughout the meal follows the rank order: men take food first, then women and the children last. Man is the one who brings the money to the house, so he gets also a lion's share of the food. There are also some other details that show the rank: For instance, guests will get a porcelain plate whereas the children eat from plastic plates. Traditionally also, the man would eat seated on a chair while everybody else sits on the floor. Nshima eaten with our fingers but rice or pasta we eat with forks or spoons. If you are in the urban areas you will have the option of visiting a local Subway or an Indian restaurant. Subway is relatively cheap here, and it's great place to eat some fresh vegetables. On the other hand Indian food isn't that cheap but because of the large Indian community here the Indian food is usually excellent. Then again, pizzas and hamburgers are relatively over-priced. Visit missiontripzambia.com for more overseas missionary fellowship travel guides and tips
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