Kondowole is a staple of

Malawian cuisine Malawian cuisine includes the foods and culinary practices of Malawi. Tea and fish are popular features of Malawian cuisine.Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

. It is made from

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

flour and

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

. It is a very sticky meal and resembles that of the Malawian

nsima Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. ...

, Tanzanian

ugali Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. ...

, or English

posho Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. ...

. It is mostly cooked on the floor because of its texture as it is normally tough to run a cooking stick through hence a lot of strength is needed. Kondowole is normally eaten with fish; fish in Malawi ranges from "utaka" (pronounced "u-ta-ka") and "chambo" (a famous fish from

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fre ...

). Kondowole is not a meal that can be made in bulk because of its consistency and texture, therefore is not as frequently eaten as

Preparation of Kondowole flour

To prepare Kondowole: 1) First peel the cassava and soak it for up to four days, depending upon the climate it is in, so that it ferments and becomes soft (it may take only two days if in very humid climates). 2) Remove from the water, remove the vascular bundle from the center, squeeze some of the excess water, and then pound with a mortar ("mtondo" in the local Malawian language chichewa) and pestle ("musi"). 3) After pounding allow the cassava paste to dry in the sun. It is not meant to be placed in a heap but in small portions separated evenly. 4) When it is dry it should be put back in the mortar for grinding. 5) After grinding it should be sieved or taken to a maize mill.

Cooking instructions

1) Place water in a small pot such that the water reaches the halfway mark then bring it to a boil. 2) Add four handfuls of the cassava flour into the water until it forms a sticky paste and stir for a minute whilst on heat. 3) Remove the pot from the heat and continue mixing the paste until all the flour disappears. (firm arms are needed for this step - in Malawi many people place the hot pot between their feet so that they may use both hands for mixing).

References

{{reflist Cassava production Malawian cuisine