{{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, East Africa|creator=|course=|type=Snack, Dessert, Side dish|served=|main_ingredient=Orchid tubers, Groundnut meal, Baking soda or ash water, Spices|variations=|calories=|other=}}

'''''Chikanda''''' is a Zambian dish made from the boiled root tubers of terrestrial orchids 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.<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, dessert, or an accompaniment to ''nshima'', a maize flour porridge.<ref name="TasteAtlas 2017"/>

==Background== Chikanda has been eaten for hundreds of years by people in parts of Zambia, northern Malawi, and southwestern 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 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.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> Originally a food in the setting of rural scarcity, 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, supermarkets, and large restaurants 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 are eaten by the Nyamwanga, Nyika, Nyiha, Fipa, Lungu, and Ndali.<ref name="Davenport Ndangalasi 2003"/>

==Ingredients== There are many different species of orchids used, but primarily from the ''Disa'', ''Habenaria'', and ''Satyrium'' genera.<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 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 water or baking soda with their high pH likely provides supplemental minerals 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 meal are boiled to form a slurry.<ref name="Zambia Alliance of Women 1985 p. 34"/> Dried chili peppers 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 from Tanzania, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to the risk of overharvesting 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 in captivity.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/> Current efforts for conservation focus on cultivating the threatened orchids.<ref name="Atlas Obscura"/>

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

Category:Zambian cuisine