The range of cuisine from the south-central African nation of Zimbabwe is both familiar and exotic for Western palates, G Adventures blogger Jodi Ettenberg points out.
As she explains, the Zimbabwean gastronomy landscape is the result of a combination of "geography, topography and colonization," a blend of Old and New Worlds.
Popular dishes here include air-dried meat and fish, peanuts, and "a whole lot of maize (corn)," Ettenberg said. Maize happens to be the main ingredient in "sadza," a hugely popular national dish.
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Visitors don't have to worry about super-hot peppers, like they would in Mozambique or Angola - British colonial rule has turned down the heat in Zimbabwean cuisine.
Africa is home to the most native grains of any other continent, per Ettenberg, such as millet, ember, sorghum and teff. The good news for visitors with sensitivities who may encounter these grains in Zimbabwe is that they are gluten-free and full of nutrition.
In Zimbabwe, it's the protein sources that may seem exotic to Westerners. During dry months, Zimbabweans tuck into dried mopane worms - the caterpillar of a species of emperor moth - by the pound.
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