At St. James the pupils are given as varied a diet as possible, within the limits of a tight budget. Whereas we think that no main meal is complete without potatoes in some shape or form, the girls look forward to their SADZA - a thick substance, with a mashed-potato-like consistency, made from Mealie Meal. For breakfast, a thin porridge version is given with milk; at lunch and supper Sadza is stiff enough to roll into balls with the fingers and is used to mop up the gravy from the plate. At break-times, the girls might get MAHEU, a fermented (but non-alcoholic!) drink made from Mealie Meal and water.
Vegetables from the school farm-garden are used extensively to accompany the main meals, for example ‘Choumoullier’, a cabbage-like green vegetable which is normally shredded and boiled. Familiar vegetables such as onions, carrots, tomatoes and peppers are also grown and frequently used.
Meat is normally beef, and although Zimbabwean Beef is of the finest quality, the girls seem to enjoy nothing better than to have the bones included in the main meal for happy chewing later. Dried beans feature with great regularity as an alternative to meat, especially through drought conditions. These, however, are not the favourite item on the menu!
For those of you who would like to try, here are a few recipes (with alternative ingredients where