Sienna's Peace Corps experience in Mozambique: Life in Zobue: Corn

I'm starting a series called Life in Zobue to share stories about everyday life in my village. First, I'd like to talk about corn.

Corn is a huge part of life in Zobue. A lot of people grow corn as a main source of food. When I arrived in December all the fields were prepared and ready to plant. After the first rain, planting began and by March the corn in the fields was 10 feet high. Paths that previously had an open view of the surrounding mountains were now obstructed on either side by a wall of corn. Around this time some of the corn began to mature and people started eating the young corn on the cob. This corn on the cob is nothing like our sweet corn in the states. Here, it is tough, chewy, and dry. I tried to eat it, but every time I was disappointed by the lack of flavor. It was still pretty good when it was fresh with some butter and parmesan cheese. The rest of the corn was left on the stalks to dry before harvest.

In April, the harvest began and suddenly the fields were clear again. Piles of corn appeared in people's yards for drying. After harvest, the next step is to remove all the corn kernels from the cobs and store them in bags. Once this is done, a family will take a bucket of corn to the mill to grind into corn flour as needed throughout the year. For many people in Zobue, xima, a kind of corn flour gruel is a daily staple. If the harvest is good enough, the corn reserves will last until the harvest next year. If not, there may be a time of hunger before the next corn can be harvested. Luckily, Zobue is a productive area with good soil and adequate rainfall so most people here have enough to eat year-round. Unfortunately, this is not true of many parts of Mozambique where sandy soil and a long dry season prevent good corn yields. In drier areas, millet is also grown as it requires less water than corn.

Besides an important source of food, the corn grown in Zobue also provides the villagers with a local source of alcohol. Bombe is a popular drink in Zobue and is made from fermented corn mash. To make bombe you simply coarsely grind the corn, boil it in water for a few hours, then wait 3-4 days for the concoction to ferment. Then you rent speakers and play loud music to tell everyone in town you are selling bombe and there is a big party at your house! I've tried it--not my favorite. It is thick and chunky and tastes like sour corn. I definitely couldn't drink a whole cup of it without feeling nauseous. But, I supposed it is an acquired taste.