Malawi Menu
Almost forgot. Here's a tasty post from Chuen-Yen for this week:
Travelers customarily explore local mores. Thus I�ve tasted potatoes from Ntcheu, Chambo from Mangochi and watermelons from Balaka. I�ve bought pottery in Dedza. I�ve chatted with robbery victims in Lilongwe. I�ve viewed the prostitutes of Lunzu. And I�ve sipped tea in Thyolo. But, despite several journeys to Salima, I have yet to savor that region�s most popular delicacy.
During a recent visit, I took a closer look at the infamous shish kabobs marketed alongside Salima�s smoldering fields. The skewered viands had distinctly rigid silhouettes. Each morsel had a tail, a pointy nose and four little legs. Upon further examination, singed black fur was evident. I gawked in disgust as several vendors aggressively solicited five Kwachas per rat or forty Kwachas for a stick of nine.
After opting not to purchase any toasted vermin, I learned why rat salesmen raze sparse local shrubbery. The conflagrations are intended to chase small animals out of their habitat. Eager hunters wait on the perimeter to capture fleeing rodents. Once caught, they are boiled, arranged in tantalizing postures until rigor mortis sets in, skewered and then broiled.
Properly prepared rats are crunchy, taste like chicken and can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to one month. Connoisseurs recommend consuming them in savory little bites. However, some uncouth individuals devour them whole. Tempting as it sounds, I bypassed this experience. Like sushi and pate, singed rats are an acquired taste.
If you visit, I�ll take you out for rats on a stick.
C
posted by Dr. Alice at #
