Travelfood

You might expect your first impression of the country to be arid and sandy, but prior to my December visit there had been a surprise 2-day rainfall and the dry bushes where indeed green and the plains seemed full of life. Maybe that is a symbolism for the existence of life and hope in any kind of harsh landscape? This green surprise was in the capital area, Windhoek. My final destination was the German-esque touristic town of Swakopmund by the Atlantic ocean, and the closer to sea we came, the drier and sandier the landscape surprisingly became. Swakopmund is charming and relaxing, but far cooler and windier than the hot Windhoek (because of the neverending sea wind). 

Namibians seem proud and more prosperous than the inhabitants of many other African countries. Service is a bit slow compared to Western standards, but this makes you think that maybe their style is actually better and more normal than the Western hectic way of functioning. In Swakopmund it seems impossible not to encounter hasslers who wish to sell you touristic goods ”from Etosha”.  

Looking in the Internet for hints about Namibian food, you encounter either German-style food (because of its colonial past) or indigenous food focusing on desert wildlife. The latter might feel a bit artificial nowadays – and hard to get – , but to my surprise, my hotel in Windhoek offered Mopane worms! They are crisp and quite hollow but the accompanying sauce was nice together with pap (a white porridge side order). There is a brown version of pap called mahonga and I had that with Owamba chicken (a sort of confit, cooked in its own stock) and wild local spinach called ombidi. Game food seemed hard to get in December, but you can always try it as biltong (a dried snack). By the sea it is worthwhile to try fish dishes and my choice was a fish soup containing Atlantic white fish such as hake and kingklip. Always a good choice! 

Africa, food, Namibia, travel, travel experiences