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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

MS Buhlebenkosi Nkala (30) from Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South, has described her experience at the recent maiden UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa as an eye-opener.

She highlighted the rich diversity of African traditional cuisines, emphasising the need to market these culinary treasures both regionally and globally.

It was a great honour for her to be among the renowned chefs who represented the country under the team name “Zimbabwean Flavours”. The team showcased 35 dishes of traditional cuisine.

Ms Nkala was selected to represent the country at the Gastronomy Conference after she came first in the national traditional cook-out competition community category.

“After learning that I would be participating in the gastronomy event, I took several steps to prepare. I practised cooking my chosen dishes multiple times to refine my techniques, flavours and presentation,” she said.

“For my ingredients, I selected the freshest, highest-quality ingredients to ensure my dishes were filled with flavour and visually appealing. I also practised presenting and plating my dishes to make a great first impression.”

Ms Nkala said she also reviewed and refined her cooking techniques such as knife skills, cooking methods and time management.

“To ensure that I was mentally prepared, I focused on my strengths, worked on managing my nerves and visualised success. By following these steps I felt confident, prepared and ready to showcase my culinary skills at the gastronomy event,” she said.

Ms Nkala said as the event drew closer she experienced mixed emotions as she was anxious about what would be expected while at the same time excited about the upcoming event.

She met her fellow team members from the country two days before the event. Ms Nkala said to prepare for the event, they held a series of meetings and training sessions. She said during that period they discussed their menu, shared ideas and refined their menu to showcase Zimbabwean cuisine.

Each team member was assigned a task based on each individual’s strengths. “We developed a strategy where we planned our cooking schedule, ingredient sourcing and presentation style. We supported and encouraged each other throughout the event. Through our collaborative efforts, we built a strong dynamic team, refined our skills and perfected our dishes,” said Ms Nkala.

“We showcased our dishes as a team on July 26, which was the first day and official opening day of the event. Our team, ‘Zimbabwean Flavours,” presented a four-course menu that highlighted the country’s unique ingredients and culinary traditions.”

They prepared about 35 dishes of Zimbabwean traditional cuisine. Ms Nkala said her contribution to the team included preparing an appetiser dish of amacimbi, planning the menu with her team, presentation design, cooking and plating and storytelling where they narrated a storyline behind their dishes.

For their menu, team Zimbabwean Flavours prepared amacimbi, biltong cake, inhopi, ibhizha, ithanga lays, amazambane flavoured with moringa and zumbani, umqombothi, umfushwa and game meat, among other dishes.

“The gastronomy experience was truly unforgettable! I was amazed by the diversity and creativity of the dishes presented by chefs from around Africa,” said Ms Nkala.

She said the event was a remarkable journey, with each dish telling a story about its country’s culture, ingredients and traditions.

“Interacting with other chefs from different countries was incredible. We shared cooking techniques, ingredients knowledge and cultural insights. We shared stories about our countries’ culinary heritage and traditions,” said Ms Nkala

She said her major highlights included sampling dishes from renowned chefs and learning about their creative processes, discovering unique ingredients and flavour profiles from various regions and collaborating with fellow chefs on a special event dish, including blending their styles and techniques.

“The experience broadened my culinary perspective, fostered new friendships and left me with unforgettable memories. It was a true celebration of United Nations Gastronomy,” said Ms Nkala.

She said participating in the event exposed her to culinary diversity as she gained a deeper understanding of African cuisines, ingredients and techniques.

Ms Nkala said she will share this knowledge and skills with fellow chefs, students and community and food enthusiasts.

“I would like to thank the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and all stakeholders for such an eye-opening experience that provided us with valuable memories. We didn’t learn cooking only, but Nhanga Gota and farming, which reminded me of our culture,” she said.

“We learnt a lot of things, even how to dress up and present ourselves as women. I will work hard to promote our Zimbabwean cuisine using both herbal and organic products.”

Zimbabwe made history by hosting the maiden UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa in recognition of the First Lady’s exploits in promoting the country’s tourism brand through her traditional meal cook-out competitions with gastronomy tourism capturing the imagination of the world.

Dr Mnangagwa is also the country’s patron for tourism and hospitality. The First Lady embarked on the gastronomy tourism journey in 2019 when she invited traditional chiefs’ wives to the State House where she gave them traditional grains and vegetable combo seeds to distribute to women in their communities for planting.

After the crops were harvested, Dr Mnangagwa introduced cook-out competitions for women to learn how to prepare indigenous dishes, starting with spouses of chiefs and village headmen.

The programme then escalated towards, district, national, regional and international levels, culminating in this gastronomy forum for Africa in honour of her hard work.