Incwancwa

Name: Incwancwa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Eswatini
Ingredients: 2 cups coarse maize meal; 1/2 cup sorghum meal; 6 cups water; Salt, to taste; 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk starter, optional, to speed fermentation; Pinch of sugar, optional

6 servings15 min prep25 min cookMedium Eswatini

♡ Sign in to save Print / Save as PDFPro

The Story Behind It

The Tale of Incwancwa

Incwancwa is a traditional fermented sorghum porridge from Eswatini, made by allowing ground sorghum to ferment before cooking, a preservation technique common across Southern Africa's grain-growing regions before refrigeration existed. Its distinctive tangy flavor comes from that fermentation process, and it remains part of traditional Swazi cuisine today.

Ingredients

Scale:· 6 servings

2 cups coarse maize meal
1/2 cup sorghum meal
6 cups water
Salt, to taste
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk starter, optional, to speed fermentation
Pinch of sugar, optional

Instructions

1Mix the maize meal and sorghum meal with warm water in a clay or plastic container.
2Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature for 2 days until pleasantly sour and slightly bubbly.
3Strain through a cloth if desired, reserving the liquid and solids.
4Bring the mixture to a boil in a pot, stirring constantly.
5Reduce the heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until thick.
6Season with salt and serve warm.

Want Cook Mode, your own recipe photos, and unlimited calculators?

Get Home Cooking Pro

Comments

Loading comments…