Yesterday I wrote about all the things that we used to buy at the school gate. I mentioned mbwire-mbwire which until yesterday I had no idea how its made. So I did what I should have done first. I asked.
Mbwire-mbwire is made with maputi (dry roasted maize) and salt. We used to eat it by just gulping mouthfuls and it just melts away. What I really wanted to know was why in the first place and this is the explanation I got from my father:
Before modern transportation, people would have to walk long distances for whatever reason so they would carry food to eat on the way. Options would include things like mutetenerwa, maputi or roasted pumpkin seeds. Then some women(guessing here) came up with another option grinding maputi and adding some salt.With one rule: DO NOT TALK WHILE EATING IT! You will choke.
I had some Portuguese corn nuts at home. Technically fried maputi.
I put them in a blender and I made my own mbwire mbwire .
For me, this is where the real fun begins. Technically this is roasted maize meal. A much more flavourful maize meal, that has me thinking in all directions. I feel like I have discovered something new even though it is not. After doing some research I also discovered that in Ghana they call it Kyekyire/ Tom Brown Flour and use it to make porridge and other things that you would use maize meal for. I will try some recipes soon.
