08 Aug 2018

A Maun resident, Tsholofelo Ngande believes that preservation and imparting culture to the younger generation is important, especially where traditional cuisine is concerned.

Speaking in an interview, Ngande of Boseja ward explained that she was a self-acclaimed advocate of the Setswana culture and gastronomy.

Ngande said Tswana food has adequate body building nutrients and the ability to protect the body from illnesses.

She explained that she has love for pumpkin seeds, noting that growing up in the early 70s, she got to experience and taste extraordinary Setswana food that was almost non-existent today due to modernisation.

“My late grandmother used to toast pumpkin seeds for us, especially in the evenings when we were gathered around the fire. I will forever cherish those moments,” she said.

Gathering what she has grasped from her late grandmother, the mother of three introduced pumpkin seeds to her children and they loved them as well.

She said when their friends visited, she would gather them around the fire the same way she grew up and toasted the seeds non-stop.

According to Ngande, preparation and toasting of pumpkin seeds is an easier task as it just requires one to be extra careful when picking seeds that are ready for toasting and forgo those which are stale musty in appearance.

Ngande explained that it was wiser for one to use a three-legged aluminum pot when toasting.

“After washing the pot, add the seeds and pour a dash of water and salt for taste and make sure you do not cover the lid to avoid any moist. Keep on turning over the seeds using a wooden spoon so that they are evenly cooked. They will toast for five to 10 minutes,” she said.

The toasted seeds can be eaten while warm or cool depending on one’s preference, she added.

She said toasted seeds made a tasty snack that people could eat in between meals, also noting that cooking oil was not needed while toasting as pumpkin seeds had their own natural oil hence they needed no cooking oil.

Ngande also uses pumpkin seeds to make home-made muesli, which is a combination of nuts, dried raisins, nuts, pumpkin seeds and a dose of honey.

When she realised that her family spent a lot of money buying muesli for breakfast, she made a decision that home-made muesli was a better option than buying one frequently.

Not only does her garden have pumpkins, she also plants groundnuts amongst other things which she uses on her muesli.

Ngande said pumpkin seeds had a way of augmenting a meal or snack into an extraordinary one.

She encouraged Batswana to use pumpkin seeds in their diet instead of feeding children sweets to offer them a healthier option.

She also encouraged parents to pass on what they knew to the younger generation to help them appreciate and value their culture to avoid its extinction. ends