Venda Traditional Food

The Ba Venda people originally came from central Africa but moved south in hopes of finding more arable land and improved living conditions.

The aforementioned people were able to live comfortably by depending on the resources that their land and animals supplied. When the land was no longer giving them what they needed, they simply moved somewhere else.

Venda traditional food has historically relied on successful crops to form the basis of its cuisine. Maize is, without a doubt, the main ingredient of the Venda cuisine. Porridge made from maize is a common item on the Venda menu.

It can be eaten plain, prepared like pancakes, or mixed with spinach and meat as a type of stew. Fortunately for the people in Limpopo province, the land is lush and abundant , yielding a plentiful variety of crops. Worms are another integral part of the Venda diet. Read on to learn more about the most popular Venda traditional food.

Popular Venda Traditional Food

Below you’ll find some of the favourite Venda dishes. They’re super tasty and will certainly have you coming aback for more.

Phutu

This maize meal is a favourite of the Venda people as well as other South African tribes. It’s one of the country’s staple foods, and it’s made by steaming maize meal until it has a crumbly, grainy texture. When eaten with stew, this porridge is absolutely delicious!

Mashonzha

While the meal is prepared with a worm-like protein that has spikes, most people don’t find it as enjoyable to eat because of those same spikes. It can be served along with a mealie meal or pap dish.

Stiff Pap or Kali

This recipe is for Kali, a type of hard porridge made from maize. Unlike other types of pap and porridge, this dish is meant to be fairly firm and dense.

The maize flour used should be a moderately coarse mealie meal – coarser than regular corn starch. Once it’s cooked, Kali can be served with fish curry or any stew of your choice.

Delele (Slipper Muroho)

This okra dish is a Zimbabwean delicacy but also very much enjoyed by the Venda. As they share boundaries, culture and cuisines, it is no surprise that this dish has become popular among them. The best part about this dish is that it can be customised to suit your taste. You can add any kind of meat or fish you like to make it more delicious!

Muroho wa Thanga wo Kodeliwa

This meal is made from freshly harvested vegetables, and it is very nutritious. The farm-fresh combo usually includes pumpkin leaves sauteed with other ingredients to create an attractive and delicious dish. This is a great way to eat your rice and maize if you want to get more vegetables into your diet.

Mazhulu

These termites are harvested during the rainy season, when they are most plentiful. A seasonal dish, they are packed with protein and make a delicious meal, though it might be hard to convince someone who hasn’t tried them before to give them a try. Nonetheless, they can be enjoyed alone or with pap.

Tshidzimba Dish

The Venda people are known for their creativity when it comes to food, and this dish is no exception. A variety of proteins provides the perfect base for samp, beans, and peanuts, while roasted cherry tomatoes and caramelised red onions give it a unique twist.

If you’re looking to make a traditional dish, there are some key ingredients you’ll need, but as always, feel free to add your own flair.

Dikgobe

This is one of the last, but definitely not least, Venda food recipes you can try at home. This Tswana traditional food is also a meal enjoyed by the Venda people as well as other tribes in Southern Africa.

This meal is not only delicious, but nutritious as well. It contains peas, beans and samp, giving the dish a porridge-like consistency. It can be eaten with a variety of stews and meat dishes.

Chicken Stew

This is a flavour-packed dish filled with healthy vegetables. It might look strange, but this is one of the recipes that Venda people enjoy. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals to give your body everything it needs.

You can tailor the ingredients in this dish to your liking, but it must include chicken and vegetables. Chicken stew goes well with mealie or rice.