After what feels like forever, I’m up to the ‘N’ countries, starting with Namibia. Like many African countries, I was unfamiliar with the cuisine before this week. At first glance, I was excited to try food from Namibia because it looked like a mix of German and traditional African cuisine.
Namibia is a country in Southern Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times by various tribes.
The Bantu people expanded into the area around the 14th century and gradually dominated the population so that today, they form the majority.
The German Empire took rulership of most of the country in 1884 and formed a colony. Later, the German troops took part in a conflict which led to a genocide. German rule ended during the First World War in 1915 after a victory by South African forces.
After this, the administration of the former German colony fell to South Africa. South Africa instituted segregation around 1948. Despite many uprisings, it wasn’t until 1990 that Namibia gained independence from South Africa, after waging a war of independence.
Namibia today is a fairly stable democracy, with a growing economy based on agriculture, tourism, and mining. It’s also one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. However, the people suffer from poverty and inequality.
What Do People Eat in Namibia?
Namibian cuisine is primarily influenced by the traditional ingredients and methods of the indigenous people, combined with the cuisine of the colonists in the area such as Germany and England.
Namibian cooking uses a lot of vegetables, like most African countries I have cooked for during this challenge. However, this is combined with German additions, which tend to be heavier on meat, such as schnitzel and sausage.
The popular German brewing tradition took root in Namibia, and beer is currently brewed by many of the indigenous tribes. Some German lager bears, including Tafel and Windhoek, are still brewed in the country.
What I Made
- Vetkoek (Fried Dough)
- Kapana (Barbecued Meat)
- Ombidi (Spinach Stew)
- Pap en Wors (Cornmeal Porridge and Sausage)
- Potjiekos (Beef and Vegetable Stew)
Scroll down to read about other popular Namibian dishes I didn’t make!
Vetkoek (Fried Dough)
I think it’s been a while since I made a fried dough recipe so I decided to make vetkoek or ‘fat cakes’, fried doughnut-like rolls that can be made sweet or savory. I’ve actually made a version of these before when cooking food for Botswana; that time, I filled them with a curried beef and vegetable mixture. This week, I made slightly sweet vetkoek, served with a spicy tomato sauce.
I made the dough with flour, water, salt, yeast, sugar, and a little nutmeg. Once it had rested, I formed the dough into balls and deep-fried them until golden.
To make the sauce, I put onion, ginger, garlic, red bell pepper, serrano chilies, and tomatoes in my food processor and blended until finely chopped. Then I added the mixture to a saucepan with a little honey, salt, and pepper, and simmered until the sauce thickened.
This was a great combination. The vetkoek were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with just a little sweetness. They went well with the spicy tomato sauce, which I think would also be great with eggs, meat, or just about anything else!
The recipes I used here are both from Ester Kocht: the vetkoek and the tomato sauce.
Kapana (Barbecued Meat)
In Namibia, one of the most popular street foods is kapana, consisting of strips of beef cooked over an open fire. I don’t have a grill or open fire to cook on, so I used a cast-iron skillet instead.
First, I made a kapana spice mix out of a long list of dry seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, red pepper flakes, thyme, mustard, cumin, brown sugar, ginger, salt, and black pepper. I rubbed this over some beef strips along with peanut oil and let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
Next, I let the beef cook on the stove until done. I was using chuck because that’s what I had bought for another recipe this week, so I let it slow-cook until tender after initially browning it. It got a little darker on the outside than I wanted it to but it didn’t taste burned—this might have just been the paprika in the seasoning.
I served my kapana with the vetkoek and tomato sauce I made earlier, as well as some ombidi (next recipe) to add more vegetables. This was a great combination! I also really enjoyed the kapana spice mix, which is good since I have some left over.
The recipe for the kapana spice mix is from Ester Kocht. There’s also a kapana recipe on the same site which I loosely followed.
Ombidi (Spinach Stew)
Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, collard greens, and pumpkin leaves are popular in most African countries, from what I have seen so far. In Namibia, ombidi is made using wild spinach, onions, and tomato. I used a combination of regular store-bought spinach and kale.
I started by sautéing onion in peanut oil. After a few minutes, I added a little garlic, followed by the kale, tomatoes, and seasoning—salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. I cooked this for a while, until the kale was tender, then stirred in the spinach. I added a little water and continued to cook until the spinach had wilted, and then my ombidi was ready.
I served this along with my kapana, and with my pap en wors (next dish). I’ve generally quite enjoyed these leafy green stews and this one was also very good.
The recipe, which I only loosely followed, is from Ester Kocht.
Pap en Wors (Cornmeal Porridge and Sausage)
This dish shows a clear sign of German influence—the inclusion of sausage. Here, it is served alongside a thick cornmeal porridge known in Namibia as ‘mielie pap’, as well as a tomato and onion sauce.
This was simple to make—by now I’m fairly familiar with cornmeal porridge so I didn’t use a recipe. I boiled some water, then added salt and whisked in some white cornmeal. After a while, once the mixture had thickened and the cornmeal was soft, it was ready. I served it with bratwurst and some of the tomato and onion sauce I made to go with the vetkoek.
I really liked this combination; I thought it was a nice mash-up of cuisines.
Potjiekos (Beef and Vegetable Stew)
This beef stew is usually prepared in a large, three-legged cast iron pot set over an open fire. It contains large chunks of beef, typically with bones, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, and corn—or whatever is on hand.
I made my potjiekos on the stove, and I used boneless chuck roast for the beef.
I browned the beef in peanut oil, then added onion, salt, and pepper, and cooked for a few more minutes. I stirred in garlic and tomato paste, then added carrots and water.
I let the pot simmer for around 2 hours, until the beef was tender. Then I added a little beef Better Than Bouillon as well as chili flakes and more salt and pepper.
I thought this stew was delicious, despite how simple it was to prepare. In Namibia, it would be served with pap, vetkoek, or maybe rice. I ate this with some of my leftover vetkoek.
This was another recipe from Ester Kocht.
Other Popular Namibian Dishes
- Bullfrogs – in the north, bullfrogs are eaten. They have to be prepared in a special way to avoid poisoning.
- Oshingali – a puree made from black-eyed peas.
- Rohack brotchen – a bread roll (brotchen) topped with raw minced meat (rohack), typically seasoned with onions, pickles, salt, and pepper.
Final Thoughts
This was another great week! My favorite food from Namibia was the potjiekos, followed closely by the vetkoek because it’s hard to go wrong with fried dough.
Next week, I unfortunately have to take another break due to lack of freezer space! But when I’m back, I will be cooking food from Nauru.