OP: The Malawi Cookbook
Government Printer, 1985. Paperback. Very Good Minus. Metric edition.
Published and sold on behalf of the Ministry of Health for the benefit of providing vaccines and healthcare for the children of Malawi, The Malawi Cookbook (1974), in its first five years in print, supported over 100,000 polio vaccines. Proceeds for the revised edition (1979) went toward malnutrition rehabilitation. In that sense, the book has the feel of a community cookbook but one that particularly has a sense of pride in place.
Malawian cuisine is not exactly well-covered by American publishers, so it is thrilling to browse and absorb the harmonious blend of indigenous ingredients and dishes with the British colonial impact, as well as the natural cultural dissemination with southeast Asian cuisine.
We spy dishes like:
- Therere (okra) soup, prepared with bacon, green corn, chili, and tomatoes
- Usipa (a small, dried fish) rehydrated with onion, tomato, and curry powder in a peanut stew, served with corn pudding or rice
- Steak with mango chutney braised in red wine and aromatics
- Bobotee, a baked dish of ground lamb, panade, curry powder, lemon leaves, pawpaw, and egg, served with rice and chutney
- Nthochi (banana) roasted with citrus juice and shredded coconut
Each page averages 5–7 recipes, so even at a slim 164 pages—including an index, household tips, and a number of intriguing ads—you will not feel deprived.
Our copy is the 1985 so-called “Metric Edition,” despite having measurements by volume in the Imperial system. It is in Very Good condition, clean and unmarked inside, though the cover is spotted with discoloration. Scarce in any edition. A magnificent introduction to an uncommonly covered cuisine.
