Eswatini, formerly Swaziland is located in Southern Africa. Sitfubi or Pap’, eaten for breakfast, is a typical Eswatini porridge made from milk and white corn meal. It was very similar in texture and fairly similar in taste to cream of wheat. This was a bit smoother than cream of wheat (not much, just a little) and seemed a bit sweeter than cream of wheat. Whereas I always add butter and sugar to cream of wheat, I was able to eat this on it’s own. A fun fact I read, was that it was traditionally made using the first milk from the cow after calving. On a totally tangental side note, that made me smile and think of a wonderful trip to St. Nectaire in the Auvergne region of central France. As one does in France, we went to the local market to get food for a picnic. Whereas French cheese shops are known for a variety of scrumptious cheeses, the unique characteristic of cheese venders at this market was that they all only sold 1 type of cheese – St. Nectaire, BUT the increadible thing was that each vendor offered cheese had about 20-50 varieties based on what season, what type of flowers/grasses the cows grazed on and the exact time of day the cows were milked … “This one is made with the 1st morning milk in the spring, this one is made from winter afternoon milk…” and the farmer went on and on. Surprisingly there actually was a huge difference in the flavor of the cheese – I found it fascinating and it has always stuck with me. Which brings me back to Eswatini and the Sitfubi which should normally be made with the 1st morning milk from a cow after calving. I can only imagine how extra tasty that would be as that tends to be the richest milk of all. A reader also reached out to me (shout out to Rela) who noted that this dish is also always made with WHITE ground corn rather than yellow as yellow corn is used animals and can be seen as an insult. She also pointed out that the dish also goes by the name pap’. I am going to see if I can find ground white corn and make it again 🙂 We all liked this dish. Hope you enjoy it too.
| Difficulty: Easy Servings: 2 Total Time: 10 min Prep Time: 1 min Cooking Time: 8-10 min Rating: 8/10 |
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup corn meal (this dish is traditionally made with WHITE corn meal)
- dash of salt
- sugar (optional for garnish)
- honey (optional for garnish)
- fresh tropical fruit (optional for garnish)
Step by Step Directions
  | Add 1 1/2 C milk to a pot. Reserve the extra 1/2 C milk. |
 | Heat milk over medium. Stir occassionaly so milk does not burn. |
 | Add a dash of salt. |
   | Mix corn meal with the 1/2 C of milk you put aside. Stir until smooth. |
 | Pour the corn-milk mixture into the hot milk. |
  | Simmer (over medium heat) stiring constantly until the mixture thickens and is soft but not stiff. |
 | Serve with sugar, honey and fresh fruit (mangos, berries, kiwi…) |
Recipe Source – Sitfubi
3 thoughts on “Sitfubi (Corn Porridge) – Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)”
Hi! I noticed that you are using yellow corn meal here, and have a suggestion/comment about your recipe. The issue I see is that the main ingredient you list is yellow corn, and that is not eaten in Swaziland/Eswatini.
I know it can be difficult to come by in other countries, but in Swaziland/Eswatini ‘pap’ or sitfubi in this case, is made with white ground corn. It truly does affect the taste, but more importantly yellow corn is considered animal food, and it can be considered an insult to serve yellow corn. Could you see a way to include specifying white corn in both your recipe and introduction? It would make this recipe more true to traditional cooking.
I grew up in Swaziland/Eswatini and it is wonderful to see someone enjoying the culture and cuisine! I appreciate that you try out different types of recipes and cooking. Thanks for your time,
Rela
Rela,
Thank you so much, first for taking the time to read the recipe and second for your super thoughtful comment. Yes, I will update the recipe with a note and I will actually see if I can find the white ground corn to try to make it with that. Having eating both yellow and white corn, there is definitely a subtle difference. I have no doubt that if it is ground, that would concentrate the flavor more. Thank you again!!!
Take care,
Alisa
Rela, just updated the intro and recipe! Thank you again!!!!