flipUmngqusho (Samp and Sugar Beans) for Sunday
Umngqusho (Samp and Sugar Beans) for Sunday
Why this dish? Tutu was Xhosa, and umngqusho is THE festive dish of Xhosa culture, slowly simmered for great occasions and family gatherings. After Sunday service at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, it was this kind of generous, colorful table that brought the community together.
Samp (coarsely crushed and hulled white maize kernels) slowly simmered with sugar beans until creamy, enriched with onion and sometimes a little fat. The centerpiece of the multicolored Sunday feast.
Ah, Sunday! We'd leave church with light hearts, and the house already smelled of umngqusho simmering since dawn. Samp, you see, doesn't rush: it must cook for hours until the grains open and embrace the beans. My wife would add an onion, a bit of fat, and we, around the table, would sing before eating. A people that shares its samp cannot remain enemies for long — I am convinced of it.
- •Samp (coarsely crushed hulled white maize) — one large bowl (base)
- •Sugar beans — one bowl (legume)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Cooking fat or butter — a spoonful (creaminess)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Umngqusho (Samp and Sugar Beans) for Sunday
Samp (coarsely crushed and hulled white maize kernels) slowly simmered with sugar beans until creamy, enriched with onion and sometimes a little fat. The centerpiece of the multicolored Sunday feast.
Why this dish? Tutu was Xhosa, and umngqusho is THE festive dish of Xhosa culture, slowly simmered for great occasions and family gatherings. After Sunday service at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, it was this kind of generous, colorful table that brought the community together.
Ah, Sunday! We'd leave church with light hearts, and the house already smelled of umngqusho simmering since dawn. Samp, you see, doesn't rush: it must cook for hours until the grains open and embrace the beans. My wife would add an onion, a bit of fat, and we, around the table, would sing before eating. A people that shares its samp cannot remain enemies for long — I am convinced of it.
Ingredients (period version)
- Samp (coarsely crushed hulled white maize) — one large bowl (base)
- Sugar beans — one bowl (legume)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Cooking fat or butter — a spoonful (creaminess)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Samp (or substitute cracked white maize / hominy) — 300 g (base)
- Sugar beans or borlotti beans — 200 g (legume)
- Onion — 1 large (aromatic)
- Butter — 40 g (creaminess)
- Broth or water — 1.5 L (cooking liquid)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Soak the samp and beans separately overnight.
- Drain, combine in a large pot, and cover generously with water or broth.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 2 to 2½ hours, adding water if needed, until the grains burst and the mixture becomes creamy.
- Sauté the onion in butter and stir it in at the end of cooking. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve in the center of the table, surrounded by the other colorful dishes of the Sunday meal.
How it was made : Umngqusho cooked for hours over a wood fire or coal stove in large family pots. It was a dish of endurance and patience, prepared to feed many mouths at weddings, funerals, and Sundays — a strong identity marker of Xhosa cuisine.
The contemporary twist : Serve in individual bowls topped with a drizzle of spicy chakalaka and fresh cilantro to awaken the sweetness of the grains.
Desmond Tutu · Charactorium
