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WHAT TO DRINK One of the nation’s most popular drinks is a beer called 2M (pronounced ‘doysh-em’). This is best served ice-cold and preferably on the beach with friends. Another ‘must try’ when in Mozambique is Laurentina beer, named in honour of the Laurentinos (people of Lourenço Marques). This awardwining beer has variants such as the pale and dark versions. Barbecued fish on the beach is a winner, as are crayfish, lobster
If you prefer something a little more exotic, the Mozambican rum
and calamari. Inland, chambo (part of the tilapia family) from Lake
Tipo Tinto is a perfect blend of tropical fruits and spices. This rum is
Niassa is very popular.
usually mixed with a raspberry-flavoured soft drink called Sparberry to
MATAPA
African and Mediterranean flavours.
produce the popular thirst-quencher known as R&R – a lively blend of
Seafood aside, Mozambique’s signature dish is matapa – especially popular in the south but also available elsewhere. The basis of matapa is cassava leaves cooked in peanut sauce, usually served with prawns. Portuguese-style white bread rolls called pão (pronounced ‘pow’) are delicious freshly baked and taste even better when they form the basis of a prego roll – a pão filled with steak covered in that famous peri-peri sauce. Mozambique used to be one of the world’s largest producers of cashew nuts and this is still evident in some of its dishes. You can grab a bag of whole cashews from a street seller; or you could try caril de castanha, a cashew nut stew, or bolo polana, a cake made from cashews. Thanks to the tropical climate, there is a generous array of fresh fruit including papayas, coconuts, mangoes and avocados. Making the most of Mozambique’s bountiful crop of avocados is one of the nation’s most popular dishes, salada pera de abacate (avocado and tomato salad). This simple but tasty dish is often served with a lemon dressing.
DESTINATION MOZAMBIQUE 3RD EDITION
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