Snack · Roasted corn

Roasted Maize (Mutandavare)

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

During maize season, you could trace Zimbabwe's bus routes just by following the smoke from roadside corn braziers.

Known locally as mutandavare or simply roasted mealies, this is corn on the cob grilled whole over open charcoal until the kernels char and caramelize slightly. Vendors sell it hot off the coals at bus terminals, market entrances, and street corners, often with just a pinch of salt.

Why it's made this way: Maize is Zimbabwe's staple crop — the base of everyday sadza — so roasting fresh cobs straight off the field during harvest season is a natural, low-cost snack that vendors can sell wherever there's foot traffic.