The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
The proposition of sitting down for a dried vegetables meal (mufushwa) can easily be frowned upon by many.
Most people still classify mufushwa as a “poor man’s food” because traditionally, the majority of dried vegetable consumers were the rural dwellers. Again, the dried vegetables were usually an option during the dry season when fresh vegetables become scarce.
On the other hand, the urbanites shunned dried foods.
However, this trend has changed as more people are now including dried fruits and vegetables in their diets.
Dried foods are increasingly finding themselves not only on vegetable vendors’ stalls but also in grocery shops and even upmarket supermarkets.
In most high-density suburbs of Harare, the number of vendors that are selling dried vegetables seem to be increasing by the day.
A wide range of dried vegetables can be found in supermarkets, among them dried pumpkin leaves, okra, carrots, beetroot, green peppers, onions and tomatoes, while dried fruit such as banana, guava, pawpaw and mango are sold in supermarkets. Dried herbs such as moringa and herbal teas are also occupying shelf spaces.
Dried fish, beans and mushroom are readily available. lnsects such as white ants (majuru), flying termites (ishwa) and mopani worms (madora) are finding their way to both supermarket shelves and vending sites.
Businesses that specialise in dried foods have sprouted, a clear sign that these types of foods have a growing market.
But what can be attributed to the steady rise in the demand for this type of food, which was shunned by many only a few years ago?
Mr Joubert Haruperi, a vendor at Mbare Musika, attributed the popularity of dried foods to two factors.
“The economic climate has forced many people to turn to cheaper foods. Dried foods are cheaper when compared to fresh foods and they can also be stored for longer periods,” he explained.
“The other factor that is drawing people to dried vegetables and fruits is related to health issues. Most people are now increasingly becoming conscious on the need to consume healthy foods. Dried foods are considered to be nutritious.”
Fitness guru, Mr Thompson Matenda, said people are increasingly aware of the need to have dried foods as part of their diets for health reasons.
Mr Matenda is a physical trainer who specialises in fitness exercises for weight loss and for those that are hypertensive and diabetic.
“Unlike processed food, dried food tastes great. It is less expensive and is healthy. Dried foods work wonders when it comes to weight loss programmes. These foods aid metabolism and I always recommend them to those that I work with,” Mr Matenda said.
He debunked the notion that dried foods often lose important nutrition components during the drying process.
“I studied sport and nutrition and I know for certain that dried food retains all its fibre and iron. Dried foods are also natural,” Matenda said.
He explained that nutritional components are retained when drying food. These nutrients can be lost during cooking and steaming. In addition, dried foods do not have any additives and preservatives that are put in processed foods.
Ms Anna Brazier, the editor of Naturally Zimbabwean, an online publication and a consultant who works on promoting sustainable agriculture, nutrition, traditional foods and community resilience in Africa, wrote extensively about the benefits that are related to eating dried foods.
“In Southern Africa, we are lucky to have rain for three months a year, meaning that for rural communities, unless you have access to irrigation water, fresh vegetables are only available for a very short period.”
“Since most rural families have no access to electricity or refrigeration, drying becomes a vital means to preserve food and thus obtain a range of nutrients during the long, dry times of year,” wrote Ms Brazier on her blog.
Added Brazier: “Apart from nutrition and preservation aspects, dried food lasts for months and is portable, making it ideal subsistence for someone working in the fields or herding livestock. From a marketing perspective, drying makes products easier to store, package and transport.”
Online sources indicate that dried foods are easy to store and use, whilst dried fruits can be used to make high-energy snacks.
Research has shown that dried foods have more calories on a weight-for-weight basis because of their nutrient concentration.
Drying helps preserve food by removing the water that helps germs to grow.
Dried fruit can last up to five years if properly prepared and stored while dried vegetables can last 10 years or more.
Canned food can usually go for up to five years.
Online sources indicate that it can be even more nutritious to eat food in its dry form.
Ms Brazier encouraged Zimbabweans to turn to dried fruit.
“We are lucky in that several of our wild fruit (including baobab, nyii and masau) dry themselves naturally, giving them a longer shelf life. With our long hot dry season, food drying is easy. The availability of solar dryers is making drying a worthy option.”
Traditionally, flours can be made from pounded, dried tubers such as sweet potato (mbambaira), cassava, tsenza, and madhumbe. The flours can be used to thicken soups or to bake biscuits and cakes.
Dried fruit can be ground into powders which are then used to make drinks or to add flavour and nutrients to porridge or sour milk.
A drink made from baobab fruit is currently on the market.
Indeed, the “poor man’s food” has many health benefits. There is no harm in trying it out.
