Goat Cake Feast
Since I got here, I had been asking people about gourmet Tanzanian food. No one, even the rich, could seem to know if such a thing existed. Finally a friend who is running a rehabilitation center for the disabled told me about goat cake which is used for special occasions.
Goat cake is really just a roasted goat. I wanted to videotape the cooking process so I proposed a party at my friend's garden on Sunday. His 85-year-old grandma who is an expert in picking good goats set out for the Maasai market (Maasai people are herders) around 8 am with Baboo who is a nice 15-year-old boy and a family friend. They didn't get back until mid-afternoon. Baboo had to drag the animal home because he said the goat was very tired and grumpy from all the walking and squelching in the back of the van.
Lema Senior is the only "specialist" in the village who knows how to prepare the dish. The skill is passed on from generation to generation. He was very skillful and even checked the organs to see if the animal was healthy for cooking. Baboo and Eric began putting charcoal into the pit in the backyard while the female relatives and neighbors helped in the kitchen with other dishes.
It took about 2 hours for the goat to be roasted after putting margarine all over the meat. Neighbors and friends invited themselves to the party. I could see that they felt very much at home and would help with the chore at the house. The meat was laid on the banana leaves on the table in the garden. The first cuts went to the elderly women. I finally had my share. It was so fantastic - definitely the best lamb I have ever had. It was so moist. I wish I could have more but boy, the old ladies could really eat and there were many neighbors at the house. It's all about sharing.
It got a bit cold at night so we started a bonfire and sipped lemon grass tea with the host family until we were too tired. That night, we slept under the stars at their garden.
Goat cake is really just a roasted goat. I wanted to videotape the cooking process so I proposed a party at my friend's garden on Sunday. His 85-year-old grandma who is an expert in picking good goats set out for the Maasai market (Maasai people are herders) around 8 am with Baboo who is a nice 15-year-old boy and a family friend. They didn't get back until mid-afternoon. Baboo had to drag the animal home because he said the goat was very tired and grumpy from all the walking and squelching in the back of the van.
Lema Senior is the only "specialist" in the village who knows how to prepare the dish. The skill is passed on from generation to generation. He was very skillful and even checked the organs to see if the animal was healthy for cooking. Baboo and Eric began putting charcoal into the pit in the backyard while the female relatives and neighbors helped in the kitchen with other dishes.
It took about 2 hours for the goat to be roasted after putting margarine all over the meat. Neighbors and friends invited themselves to the party. I could see that they felt very much at home and would help with the chore at the house. The meat was laid on the banana leaves on the table in the garden. The first cuts went to the elderly women. I finally had my share. It was so fantastic - definitely the best lamb I have ever had. It was so moist. I wish I could have more but boy, the old ladies could really eat and there were many neighbors at the house. It's all about sharing.
It got a bit cold at night so we started a bonfire and sipped lemon grass tea with the host family until we were too tired. That night, we slept under the stars at their garden.
posted by Nancy at 10:53 PM
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