The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Batswana Foods. If you manage to be in an Batswana restaurant or you are visiting Botswana, I recommend the following:
1. Vetkoe
It consists of a delicious dough patty fried in oil and filled with curry-spiced beef and accompanied by peppers, onions and spinach. It is also commonly served with honey, syrup, butter or jam. Because of this, it can be both sweet and savoury. In most cases it is served hot, making it a very comforting and nourishing dish. It can be eaten as a main meal or as a dessert.
2. Serobe
It is nothing more than goat, sheep or cow intestines cooked until tender; sometimes trotters are included. Sometimes sheep’s or goat’s feet are added and poached in a broth.
3. Traditional Style Chicken
It is prepared using free-range chickens, which are much healthier than those raised in captivity. Traditionally, the bird’s meat is prepared over an open fire in a three-legged iron pot. This method of cooking gives it a delicious and distinctive flavor that is not to be missed. This preparation is offered in a wide variety of restaurants and food stalls all over the country, so it is highly recommended to try it.
4. Mogodu
It is prepared with goat, sheep or beef intestines. The intestines are chopped up and served in a stew with peas and potatoes. It is a very hearty meal that is served at lunchtime, and is also quite nutritious. It has a very pleasant taste, as it is seasoned with garlic, chili and ginger.
5. Seswa
The recipe consists of meat that is boiled until tender and then shredded and served with cornmeal or porridge made from sorghum flour. It has a very pleasant taste and generates a great feeling of satisfaction when eaten. So don’t miss the opportunity to try it when you visit Botswana.
6. Bogobe
It is a flour with water cooked to a puree thickness, this way of eating the flour is used practically all over the world, varying in name and type of cereal used. It is known for a delicate flavor imparted by the lerotse melon, a type of fruit that visually resembles a typical watermelon and is distinguished by its orange-coloured flesh.
7. Phaphata
It is a traditional bread that is generally round in shape and is prepared dry in a frying pan. It can be enjoyed either on its own or stuffed with meat, and is easy to eat and easy to find in various restaurants and food stalls in the country; it is usually eaten at breakfast time or as an afternoon snack, as it is a fairly hearty preparation that can be a little heavy.
8. Dikgobe
It is prepared with corn, beans and lamb meat. The beans are simmered to give them a soft texture and preserve their flavor. Meanwhile, the lamb is roasted once the beans are almost ready. When both ingredients have reached the desired doneness, they are brought together in one dish and stirred to combine their flavors. At the same time, it is quite common to serve it with sprigs of parsley to add a more pleasant taste.
9. Kalahari Truffle
Khoikhoi mythology refers to truffles as “lightning bird eggs” that appear after a storm. In fact, truffles only grow when there is enough rain (but not when it rains too much), which is between January and April. They can be eaten raw or cooked. Peeled truffles can be boiled in salted water. Sometimes they are fried. The taste is not as rich as European truffles and the texture is similar to crumbled cheese.
10. Mopane Worms
A staple source of protein and nutrients for many rural communities in southern Africa, a delicacy in Limpopo. Mopane worms can be bought at most markets around Limpopo or as padkos at roadside food stalls.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional African Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.