Looking for examples of Namibian cuisine

October 17, 2007 2:16 AM

We're having a Rugby World Cup celebration/commiseration at work this week, and we each have to bring an edible contribution that relates to one of the competing countries. All good fun so far, except that I've been given Namibia. What to do?

I confess that my knowledge of Namibian cuisine is somewhat limited, and my research so far has only told me that it's pretty much the same as South African (which someone else is doing). The best I can come up with is to go off on a tangent and bring cupcakes decorated with the colours of the Namibian flag. Any better ideas for something distinctively Namibian? It can be sweet or savoury, food or drink, as long as I can prepare it the night before and transport it to work on public transport.

posted by une_heure_pleine to food & drink (6 comments total)

Well, there's a liquer called 'Amarula', kind of like Bailey's and widely available, which while it is technically South African is made from the fruit of the Amarula tree which grows in abuyndance in Namibia. Apparently the elephants of the Kalahari like to get drunk and crazy on this fruit when it ferments, so that's sort of a rugby tie-in right there.
Or, maybe you could on a technicality exploit Namibia's history as a German colony, which could offer a cornucopia of culinary concuctions - sauerkraut perhaps?
posted by Flashman at 2:40 AM on October 17, 2007

Amarula is much nicer than Baileys. It's lighter and fruitier, and goes great over ice cream, too.

Regarding food, the only Namibian recipe I've ever seen myself is one for Namibian pap in The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook (essentially pap flavoured with biltong powder). Don't be put off by the Wikipedia description of it is maize 'porridge'; it's the crumbly style you'd be making (which is very nice) and not the porridge. And if you cook it right, you might just get a crust of pap on the bottom of the pot that tastes just like really thick tortilla chips. Yum.

I don't think I've seen the recipe online, but if you want it you can contact me through my website link on my profile.
posted by macdara at 2:54 AM on October 17, 2007

Thirding Amarula. The Amarula website (ignore the .za domain, it's a Namibian drink) has some good recipes for using it. I recommend the cheesecake.

Most Namibian food is hard to distinguish from South African, although when I was down there the South Africans definitely had a more developed restaurant 'cuisine'. Namibia isn't well developed on the whole, so many people eat pap, fried greens (sometimes creamed, so you could do creamed spinach), mutton that they've grilled or stewed, as far as I noticed, at least.

Aside from the maize porridge, anything involving vast piles of grilled meat would be a pretty authentic taste of how well-off Namibians eat, or oysters - you get great ones from Walvis Bay.

Joe's Beer Garden in Windhoek is one of the must-eat-at places for visitors - basically game, german sausage and beef, served as steaks or kebabs, so you could do some mixed-meat kebabs?
posted by dowcrag at 3:58 AM on October 17, 2007

Doh! I meant the Amarula website has...
posted by dowcrag at 3:58 AM on October 17, 2007

Track down any african game meat such as ostrich or kudu, and make kebabs. Failing that biltong, which is of course also quite South African, is widely available.
posted by roofus at 6:20 AM on October 17, 2007

Thanks all - I'm going to try to track down some Amarula and do a cheesecake or similar.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 7:54 AM on October 18, 2007