🇸🇿 Eswatini Cuisine

Sishwala

Thick Maize Porridge

Prep Time 30 min
Servings 6
Difficulty Easy
Calories 302 kcal

The national staple of Eswatini, a very thick and stiff maize porridge cooked until firm enough to be eaten by hand, served alongside stews and relishes.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Bring water to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add salt and reduce heat to medium.
  2. 2 Slowly sprinkle in one cup of maize meal while stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
  3. 3 Continue adding maize meal gradually, stirring vigorously. The mixture will become increasingly thick and difficult to stir.
  4. 4 Keep cooking and stirring for twenty minutes. The porridge should pull away from the sides of the pot cleanly.
  5. 5 The sishwala is ready when a wooden spoon stands upright in it. Serve on a communal plate with stew spooned around it.

Did You Know?

In Swazi tradition, the ability to cook perfect sishwala is considered an essential skill for any young woman preparing for marriage.