Umngqusho is a South African dish based on
samp
Samp is an African food consisting of dried corn kernels that have been pounded and chopped until broken, but not as finely ground as mealie-meal or mielie rice. The coating around the kernel loosens and is removed during the pounding and stam ...
and
sugar beans, usually served with hard body chicken which is called umleqwa in
isiXhosa
Xhosa (, ) also isiXhosa as an endonym, is a Nguni language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a secon ...
. This dish is a staple meal for most South African families, referred to as isitambu by the
Zulu people
Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Nata ...
and umngqusho by the Xhosa people.
How to pronounce umngqusho
Umngqusho is pronounced as “oom-nqoo-shoh”, for this word, you have to press your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth, to get the sound, the ‘q’ does not sound like a ‘k’ as it does in English.
Preparation
Soak the samp and sugar beans overnight in cold water. Drain and place in a heavy-based saucepan with 1 litre of water. Boil until soft and season with salt and pepper.
Ingredients
Some of South Africa’s chefs usually add onion, garlic and spices to enhance the taste.
The Xhosa version, served with butter or fat, was apparently
Nelson Mandela's favourite dish.
See also
*
List of African dishes
*
List of legume dishes
References
South African cuisine
Legume dishes
Xhosa people
Nguni
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