MATEMBA ANE DOVI

Kapenta is a type of fresh water sardines that originated from lake Tanganyika in East Africa.They were introduced into the lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.The name Kariba comes from the word Kariva meaning trap which refers to the rock jutting out from the gorge.it was believed by the Batonga to be home of the nyami-nyami and anyone who ventured near the rock was dragged down under water.Though there has been sightings of the nyami-nyami by local people there has never been an official recorded sighting of the creature.They are known as matemba in Zimbabwe and a cup can feed 3 people when cooked.They are caught during the night as they are attracted by light.The Batonga people lived on the banks of the lake many years ago,they believed in legendary creature NYAMI-NYAMI "ZAMBEZI RIVER GOD".They believed it controls the life in and on the river and his wife resides in the Kariba gorge.They were seperated by the wall and it is believed the frequent earth tremors felt in the area were caused by the spirit trying to reach his wife.it is a dragon like creature with a snake's torso and the head of a fish.Matemba can be fried and served with tomato sauce or with dovi"peanut butter".Here is my recipe for matemba:


MATEMBA ANE DOVI "PEANUT BUTTER MATEMBA"


1 cup dried matemba
1 small onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
60 mls oil


Soak matemba in warm water for 5mins and drain[ this is done to remove the excess salt in which the kapenta is dried in]. Heat oil and fry matemba for 5mins.Add onions and fry until onions are translucent.Add tomatoes and cook for another 5mins.Stir in dovi and mix until well combined.Serve with sadza.