Sadza Pur
Zimbabwe, Zambia
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups cornmeal (or another locally available grain meal)
- 4 cups water
- Salt (optional, if available)
PREPARATION
- Boil the water: In a pot, bring the water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt if available, though in times of scarcity, sadza is often made without any seasonings.
- Add the cornmeal: Gradually pour the cornmeal into the boiling water, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
- Stirring: Stir vigorously until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pot. This process takes about 10-15 minutes.
- Cooking: Reduce the heat and cook the sadza for a few more minutes to achieve a smooth consistency.
- Serving: During times of crisis, sadza is served plain, without any accompaniments, highlighting the simplicity of the meal.
Sadza, like other staple foods in Sub-Saharan Africa, has become a symbol of poverty and hunger. Many local communities that once had access to diverse food products now rely on this single, nutritionally poor dish, as corporate activity restricts their access to land and natural resources.
In its simplest form, sadza reflects the harsh living conditions where global markets benefit from export crops, while local communities are forced to survive on minimal resources.
In countries like Zimbabwe and Zambia, the activities of international corporations contribute to the deep impoverishment of local communities, leading to malnutrition and food crises. These corporations, focusing on export crops such as tobacco, cotton, or corn for export, take over vast areas of farmland, displacing local farmers and restricting their access to fertile lands.
As these lands are allocated to corporate-controlled plantations, local farmers are forced to move to less fertile and more difficult-to-cultivate areas. Producing food for their own needs becomes increasingly challenging, resulting in a drastic decline in the availability of fresh food products. Communities that were once self-sufficient now struggle with rising food prices and limited access to basic goods.
Corporate activities that heavily exploit natural resources, such as water, further worsen the situation. In regions affected by drought or soil degradation, local residents face even greater difficulties in growing food. In areas where the land was once rich and productive, agricultural profits are now reaped by corporations exporting goods to global markets, while local people fight to survive.
As a result of this crisis, sadza – a simple meal made from cornmeal and water – becomes the daily dish, the only one available to many families. The lack of access to diverse, nutritious ingredients such as vegetables, proteins, or fats leads to widespread malnutrition, especially among children. Despite these regions having the potential to be self-sufficient, corporate economic activities prevent local communities from accessing land and food, exacerbating poverty and food crises.
