# Chikanda

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{{Short description|Zambian Dish}}
{{Infobox prepared food|name=Chikanda|image=Chikanda2.jpg|caption=''Chikanda''|alternate_name=Kinaka, Chinaka, Kikanda, African Polony, Zambian Polony, Zambian Sausage|country={{flag|Zambia}}|region=[Southern Africa](/source/Southern_Africa), [East Africa](/source/East_Africa)|creator=|course=|type=[Snack](/source/Snack), [Dessert](/source/Dessert), [Side dish](/source/Side_dish)|served=|main_ingredient=Orchid tubers, Groundnut meal, Baking soda or ash water, Spices|variations=|calories=|other=}}

'''''Chikanda''''' is a [Zambian](/source/Zambia) dish made from the boiled root [tubers](/source/Tuber) of terrestrial [orchids](/source/Orchidaceae) also called ''chikanda''.<ref name="Joshi 2012 p. 9">{{cite book | last=Joshi | first=D.D. | title=Herbal Drugs and Fingerprints: Evidence Based Herbal Drugs | publisher=Springer India | year=2012 | isbn=978-81-322-0804-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RtC2TbBn2cIC&pg=PA9 | access-date=2021-10-10 | page=9}}</ref><ref name="TasteAtlas 2017">{{cite web | title=Chikanda - Traditional Snack From Zambia | website=TasteAtlas | date=2017-10-30 | url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/chikanda | access-date=2021-10-10}}</ref> The dish is often called "African polony" because it has a texture that resembles [bologna](/source/Bologna_sausage).<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/><ref name="Atlas Obscura">{{cite web | title = In Zambia, a Craze for a Traditional Treat Is Endangering Wild Orchids | website=Atlas Obscura | date=March 2019 | url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/endangered-orchid-trade-zambia | access-date=2021-10-10}}</ref> Chikanda can be eaten as a [snack](/source/snack), [dessert](/source/dessert), or an accompaniment to [''nshima''](/source/Ugali), a [maize](/source/maize) flour [porridge](/source/porridge).<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/>

==Background==
Chikanda has been eaten for hundreds of years by people in parts of Zambia, northern [Malawi](/source/Malawi), and southwestern [Tanzania](/source/Tanzania).<ref name="Davenport Ndangalasi 2003">{{cite journal | last1=Davenport | first1=Tim R. B. | last2=Ndangalasi | first2=Henry J. | title=An escalating trade in orchid tubers across Tanzania's Southern Highlands: assessment, dynamics and conservation implications | journal=Oryx | publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP) | volume=37 | issue=1 | year=2003 | issn=0030-6053 | doi=10.1017/s0030605303000127 | s2cid=85774089 | doi-access=free }}</ref> The dish is traditionally associated with the [Bemba](/source/Bemba_people) tribe in northeast Zambia, although it is eaten throughout Zambia today.<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/> For the Bemba, it is an integral part of the culture and is served at special occasions such as [weddings](/source/Wedding).<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> Originally a [food in the setting of rural scarcity](/source/Famine_food), it has now shifted to an urban trend.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/><ref name="Davenport Ndangalasi 2003"/>  Now, chikanda can be found being sold by [street vendors](/source/Hawker_(trade)), [supermarkets](/source/Supermarket), and large [restaurants](/source/Restaurant) as the urban population has an increased demand for this rural tradition.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/>

In Malawi, it is thought that eating the dish will protect against sickness.<ref name="Teoh 2019 p. 305">{{cite book | last=Teoh | first=E.S. | title=Orchids as Aphrodisiac, Medicine or Food | publisher=Springer International Publishing | year=2019 | isbn=978-3-030-18255-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iEGjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA305 | access-date=2021-10-11 | page=305}}</ref>

In southwestern Tanzania, a similar dish called ''kinaka'' in [Kiswahili](/source/Swahili_language) are eaten by the [Nyamwanga](/source/Kyenjojo_District), [Nyika](/source/Mijikenda_peoples), [Nyiha](/source/Nyiha_people), [Fipa](/source/Fipa_people), [Lungu](/source/Lungu_people), and [Ndali](/source/Ndali_people).<ref name="Davenport Ndangalasi 2003"/>

==Ingredients==
There are many different [species](/source/species) of orchids used, but primarily from the ''[Disa](/source/Disa_(plant))'', ''[Habenaria](/source/Habenaria)'', and ''[Satyrium](/source/Satyrium_(plant))'' [genera](/source/Genus).<ref name="Joshi 2012 p. 9"/><ref name="Davenport Ndangalasi 2003"/> Researchers determined that 16 orchid species in 6 genera are in the ''chikanda'' trade.<ref name="Veldman Kim van Andel Bello Font p=595">{{cite journal | last1=Veldman | first1=Sarina | last2=Kim | first2=Seol-Jong | last3=van Andel | first3=Tinde | last4=Bello Font | first4=Maria | last5=Bone | first5=Ruth | last6=Bytebier | first6=Benny | last7=Chuba | first7=David | last8=Gravendeel | first8=Barbara | last9=Martos | first9=Florent | last10=Mpatwa | first10=Geophat | last11=Ngugi | first11=Grace | last12=Vinya | first12=Royd | last13=Wightman | first13=Nicholas | last14=Yokoya | first14=Kazutoma | last15=de Boer | first15=Hugo | title=Trade in Zambian Edible Orchids—DNA Barcoding Reveals the Use of Unexpected Orchid Taxa for Chikanda | journal=Genes | publisher=MDPI AG | volume=9 | issue=12 | date=2018-11-30 | issn=2073-4425 | doi=10.3390/genes9120595 | page=595| pmid=30513666 | pmc=6315803 | doi-access=free }}</ref> The orchid roots resemble the shape of an [Irish potato](/source/Potato) but are smaller in size.<ref name="Zambia Alliance of Women 1985 p. 34">{{cite book | author=Zambia Alliance of Women | title=Food for Africa: The Promotion of Traditional and Under-utilized Foodstuffs : Report of a Regional Workshop | publisher=The Alliance | year=1985 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXsOAQAAIAAJ | access-date=2021-10-10 | page=34}}</ref> The [ash](/source/ash) water or [baking soda](/source/Sodium_bicarbonate) with their [high pH](/source/Base_(chemistry)) likely provides supplemental [minerals](/source/Mineral) and leads to the soapy taste and firm texture of ''chikanda''.<ref name="Kaputo 1996 pp. 115–119">{{cite journal | last=Kaputo | first=M.T. | title=The role of ashes and sodium bicarbonate in a simulated meat product from chikanda tuber (Satyria siva) | journal=Food Chemistry | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=55 | issue=2 | year=1996 | issn=0308-8146 | doi=10.1016/0308-8146(95)00073-9 | pages=115–119}}</ref>

==Preparation==
The tubers are dried and pounded.<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/> Then, a mixture of the dried brown orchid meal and [groundnut](/source/Peanut) meal are boiled to form a [slurry](/source/slurry).<ref name="Zambia Alliance of Women 1985 p. 34"/> Dried [chili peppers](/source/Chili_pepper) can also be added.<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/> The slurry is thickened by soda, salted, and flavored with spices.<ref name="Zambia Alliance of Women 1985 p. 34"/> As it simmers, the slurry thickens into a cake and rises like dough.<ref name="Zambia Alliance of Women 1985 p. 34"/> It is usually served sliced.<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/>
	
==Sustainability issues==
The orchid roots grow wild throughout Zambia.<ref name="Zambia Alliance of Women 1985 p. 34"/> However, due to the high demand, this had led to the present scarcity of the orchids in the country.<ref name="Joshi 2012 p. 9"/><ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> Now, they are illegally [imported](/source/Import) from Tanzania, [Angola](/source/Angola), and the [Democratic Republic of Congo](/source/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo), leading to the risk of [overharvesting](/source/Overexploitation) abroad.<ref name="Joshi 2012 p. 9"/><ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> Traditional sustainability practices included only harvested tubers that have spread their seed and replanting stalks.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> However, the locals have abandoned these practices due to increased demand.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> The orchids are difficult to [cultivate](/source/Agriculture) in [captivity](/source/captivity).<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> Current efforts for [conservation](/source/Conservation_biology) focus on cultivating the threatened orchids.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/>

==References==
{{commonscat|Chikanda}}
{{reflist}}

Category:Zambian cuisine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chikanda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikanda) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikanda?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.