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Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter

INSPIRED by the need to share the great cooking lessons he used to get from his grandmother, Mr Prince Mahlangu (33) started a show- Magriza made me cook- which documents and shares insights into the richness and uniqueness of African cuisine.

The Bulawayo-born and self-taught chef saw the gap in recipes for traditional foods and to close it, he partnered with his friend Mr Thembani Phakathi.

He used the cooking lessons he got from his maternal grandmother to bring out the sumptuous goodness of traditional African food in the social media show.

The show premiered on social media platforms in 2020 with only a few followers.

It has since gained a huge following among lovers of traditional food and has converted scores of others who were indifferent.

The duo features ethnic foods show how people from different cultures prepare particular dishes.

Multitudes have fallen in love with the recipes and scores make requests for specific recipes.

The recipes range from talking about how umxhanxa, sorghum porridge, and isitshwala from different meals are made and going on to highlighting the dietary benefits of eating the meals.

Mr Mahlangu uses elderly people from communities to narrate how the food is cooked. if the food is associated with any historic events, they narrate how it was eaten during that event.

Mr Mahlangu did not only limit himself to the Ndebele culture.

The show has diversity as he also features cultures like Ndau and Kalanga.

“We started this show because of the need to share a document about the richness and uniqueness of African food and culture. The main belief encapsulating the show is that Africans need to take a proactive role in documenting their history, heritage, and stories,” Mr Mahlangu told the Chronicle.

He said because they are documenting history through traditional food, they try by all means to engage elderly people in communities so they can share recipes before they die so that the knowledge is not lost.

The self-taught chef said they have since made more than 100 video documentaries that show how “our ancestors have been preparing different meals.”

Mr Mahlangu said apart from offering cooking lessons the channel also looks at indigenous herbs that are vital for one’s health and many might have forgotten about like isihaqa, intolwane, and isafice.

He said the show has also been working as a tourism attraction for many people outside Zimbabwe as they document the videos from across the country thereby promoting the beauty of Zimbabwe by offering pictures and information on how one can access the place they liked and go for a vacation.

“I am a self-taught chef so this alone should show you the power of learning recipes from our elders because everything l know got it from my maternal grandmother. I would watch her cooking sitting next to her and ask why she did everything in a particular way, be it adding salt or adding more fire. I am privileged enough to also have Makhosi Mahlangu, the person who heads up Lupane Veggie Guys as my brother because he has also been helpful in teaching me some traditional things. Because of this passion, l decided to learn and train myself on several African dishes even from outside my culture so as to preserve and get an appreciation of them,” said the young man.

He said Africa’s cuisine is something that every African should be proud of as it denotes the home setup everyone grew up in.

Mr Mahlangu said sourcing the information on how some dishes are made is sometimes difficult as most old people die without sharing the recipes.

“Because we’re working as young people most people find it hard to believe that we are followers of African culture in its truest sense. And at times we face financial constraints to travel to where the person with the recipe will be so we can be able to properly document it,” said the young chef.

Because of the show’s popularity in the country and beyond, Mr Mahlangu says they are partaking in different food festivals like Munch n Sip.

@flora_sibanda