What We Eat in Malawi

What we eat in Malawi is much more limited than what we eat at home but we are eating very, very well thanks to Michael Patrick.  He cooks our evening meal and we take care of the other two, but there are usually things left over from dinner that we reheat. 

 

There is a very limited amount of processed and pre-packaged foods here, but we take advantage of some of them.  Spaghetti is readily available and they have a wonderful coconut cookie that you find every where for about 50 cents a box.  Mark has picked up some ramen type noodle packages a couple of times.  They cost more than at home. 

 

The things that we eat a ton of is white bread (it is baked in Mangochi and only lasts a few days in terms of freshness) which comes sliced just like at home, peanut butter (a little different, but still smashed peanuts) and jam (which comes in a can instead of a jar).  A loaf of bread costs around 70 cents.  The peanut butter and jam is similar to home.  Butter is very expensive, over a thousand kwacha a pound.  (7 dollars?)  We go through a lot of that as well because of Patrick’s cakes and cookies. 

 

All dairy is pretty expensive. Boxed, unrefrigerated milk is available off and on or you can buy fresh milk (when they have it) at the Metro for 50 cents per pint.  (It comes in a bag instead of a box which makes a lot of sense.)  We can also buy milk right out of the cow at MCV if we take our own container.  I wasn’t thrilled with it the first time that we got it.  They freeze it as soon as they get it and we had to thaw it out.  It’s not pasteurized.  There is one place to buy soft serve ice cream in Mangochi and it was pretty much just like home.  Three or 4 ounces of cheese is $5. 

 

Meat is expensive compared to everything else here, but not bad compared to home prices.  Chicken and sausages are usually available in Mangochi and then there is this section that just says “meat”.  We are not brave enough to try it.  I’m sure that , goat is very good, but my life may be just as happy without ever trying it.  There is a goat “butcher shop” out on the highway that we drive by on our way to Mangochi.  There is also this stuff they call French Paloney.  Baloney?  And it tastes like a hot dog.  It makes good sandwiches if we have it and we are tired of peanut butter.  The only place to get hamburger and beef is in the big cities. 

 

Sugar is cheap here because they grow sugar cane and Annie likes to have honey for her peanut butter sandwiches.  It’s easy to get cake flour, but we’ve had a hard time finding bread flour except in bulk at the metro. 

 

They grow both coffee (the good brand is Mzuzu) and tea here.  We hope to visit the tea growing area down by Blantyre on our way home.  Both the tea and coffee are very good. 

 

We also buy rice and oil at the store.  Everything else we get at the market.  Eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes (ubiquitous), dried beans of many different kinds (I like the deep red ones the best), green beans, peas (very good, bigger than ours and more carby, less sweet), green peppers, onions, sometimes garlic, lots of greens, cucumbers, huge sweet carrots, cabbages (one can make salad for the four of us for 4-5 meals), bananas, tangerines (green here, eventually turn orange at home), lemons are also green and extremely bumpy as though they have a skin disease.(gross!, Annie says)  Papayas are also in season (I’m not a fan) and there are occasionally pineapples.  There also raw peanuts which Patrick roasts to perfection.  That is our main snack. 

 

Then there are drinks.  Coke comes in the glass bottle and the bottle deposit costs almost as much as the drink. (You have to buy the crate too but get the money back when you turn it back in.) Without the deposit, it is about 20 cents per bottle and it is made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.  The kids are totally hooked.  To get the best deal you go to the “bottle store”.   Where you trade in your old ones and get your new ones.  You also buy Carlsberg beer at the bottle store.  I lose track over how much it costs.  I think around 50 cents a bottle.  You can get wine from South Africa which is pretty expensive (relative to other drinks) and the Malawian alcohol like gin and vodka runs $4 a bottle. 

 

Our water is pumped up from the lake.  It has to be boiled before drinking and we have a very nice water filter system that it run it through for drinking and ice.  It tastes as good as home. 

 

Here are the things that Patrick makes:  Chicken curry, fish curry, rice and beans,  fish and chips, spaghetti with tomato sauce, eggplant stewed with tomatoes, cabbage salad, a dutch dish called Hutspot (sp?) which is big time comfort food with mashed potatoes, carrots and sausage.  (When Patrick made this we invited Nettie over who is Dutch.  She has stayed here with Patrick before and will move in after we leave.  She was in raptures about how perfectly he had prepared it.)  I hear that he also makes great mashed potatoes which we will have next week.  The kids have been very happy with the food here.  Oh yeah, there is also this great Malawian hot sauce called Nali, it comes in various flavors and we put it on everything.  Patrick doesn’t like it.