Stewed · Cassava Leaf & Peanut

Matapa

📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

Cassava leaves can't be eaten raw — they contain compounds that release cyanide — so matapa is pounded fine and simmered for a long time until the leaves are safe and velvety.

Matapa is a deep-green stew of finely pounded cassava leaves simmered in coconut milk with ground peanuts and, along the coast, small dried or fresh shrimp. Street vendors and market cooks ladle it over rice or xima (maize porridge) from big pots, and it's a fixture at roadside lunch spots in Maputo and Beira.

Why it's made this way: Matapa is eaten across Mozambique and is especially associated with the south, and its combination of cassava leaves, coconut, and peanuts reflects crops brought in over centuries of Indian Ocean and Portuguese trade.