A new kitchen appliance aims to make cooking sadza, Zimbabwe’s iconic mealie meal porridge staple food, faster and easier.
The Sadza Cooker, invented by Zimbabwean entrepreneur Caroline Gundu, works by mixing water and mealie meal inside a sealed container with a heating element and rotating paddle stirrer. Controls allow the appliance to precisely set the temperature and cooking time.
In a demonstration, the Sadza Cooker produced consistently fluffy portions of sadza in a matter of minutes. Gundu says the machine can also cook rice, porridge and stews using different accessories, offering the potential for a whole meal to be prepared at once.
This could provide convenience for the Zimbabwean community spread around the world.
If the Sadza Cooker performs as intended, making cooking sadza mess-free and simple, it could have a real impact for those who struggle with the complexities of cooking the dish manually (including the writer). However, challenges remain before the product comes to market.
Affordability will be key, and distribution within Zimbabwe may be difficult. While demand exists within the diaspora community for products that provide tastes of home, the Sadza Cooker will have to prove it can truly simplify and improve the sadza cooking experience.
If the potential challenges can be overcome, the Sadza Cooker shows promise in addressing a real need for those who cook sadza regularly. By automating some of the difficulties in preparing the dish, this simple kitchen appliance aims to truly revolutionize how an entire nation and community cooks one of its most iconic foods. Looking forward to it!
Click here to order your Sadza Cooker!
