In the Shona culture, each part of a slaughtered animal is supposed to be eaten by certain members of the family. Honestly, I do not care much for the rules because I think they were put in place by greedy men. It seems to me most of the rules were put to favour men and the women followed them to keep their husbands/fathers/uncles/brothers happy. It’s not just the food but a lot of practices in day-to-day life. I think it has made the men think when they treat their wives right they are doing them a favour.
The liver is usually eaten by the men, just after slaughtering the cow. Sometimes they will build a fire where they slaughter the cow and barbeque the liver. I have heard that some people eat the liver raw whole it is still warm. To each their own but I am never doing that.
However, a cow’s liver is not so easy to cook. If not cooked properly it becomes rubbery, especially if you boil it. In Zimbabwe, meat is usually boiled, then browned and sauce added. I know you are “not” supposed to boil meat but we are so used to it we don’t notice the difference. The most common method for cooking liver is frying it in a little bit of oil and seasoned with salt. A lot of people consider liver a breakfast meat especially the wealthier people. Liver is actually pricey compared to other meat in Zimbabwe, I think it is supply and demand issue.
I prefer to stew my liver as it softer than simply frying it. I make a tomato sauce then add the liver and cook it a few minutes and that is it.
Stewed Liver
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 1 to mato grated
- 1 garlic glove crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 lb cow's liver cubed
Instructions
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Fry the onion and bell pepper in oil for about five minutes on medium-high heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
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Add the tomato and red pepper flakes and cook for five minutes. Add the stock and simmer for five minutes.
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Add the liver and cook for about 10 minutes.
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Serve with rice, sadza or bread.
