Stewed · Cassava Leaf & Peanut
Matapa
📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use
Matapa is traditionally pounded by hand in a wooden mortar for over an hour — the long pounding is what breaks the cassava leaves down into their signature velvety texture.
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: The dish comes from the Makua people of northern Mozambique, and its combination of cassava leaves, coconut, and peanuts reflects the country's position at the crossroads of Bantu African, Indian Ocean, and Portuguese colonial trade in coconut and cashew crops.
Roughly what's in it
380kcal
14gprotein
26gcarbs
25gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
More from Mozambique
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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