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NitroXAdministrator
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The Joys of Nyama - Part 2
      #163671 - 08/07/10 07:15 PM

.


"The Joys of Nyama" - Part 2



Go back to "The Joys of Nyama" - Part 1





After the hunt, and after the elephant has been skinned and choice meat selected for staff and the local tribal chieftain, the free for all rush of the meat hungry locals occurs.

At times violent, pushing, shoving, stealing, tugging, it is still a fun time for all. And Africans know how to have fun. It was Karen Blixen whom said, the worst thing for an African is routine and drudgery. Get in there, get some, and also have fun. And what joy is expressed afterwards.

"Nyama", Swahili for Meat, from East Africa but sometimes used also in other parts of Africa. Nyama, enough for all, for a while, until the next elephant is hunted, perhaps months away. Unless the poacher's snare yields some wild fruit.

The villagers here have had many hours to wait. The cow elephant hunted the evening before, has lain in the jesse all night. Her herd had defended her carcase at least three times, driving us out of the bush, each time we approached. Having shot her with a couple of "insurance shots" into the chest, and been chased out, backing out of the trees guns raised each time, it was decided to come back after dawn.

Villagers had begun to gather already nearby, but we're warned by PH Paul not to go to the elephant or they would be killed.

During the night anxious thoughts, "was it really a brain shot" and "why did I put both insurance shots in exactly the same place in the chest?" "Will it be there still tomorrow?"

Approaching by vehicle the next morning, no one in sight, 'Oh no, I thought, they have already begun to chop up the elephant before we can take some photos!"


The next morning.

But no, being smart and knowing the day will begin with an elephant being butchered they have stayed in bed or their huts and villages until the sound of the vehicle is heard.

After pulling up, soon a stream of people carrying axe and knife, bucket and bag to be filled, comes in from every direction.

But first they must wait patiently for the silly whities photos and filming, but do help clearing bush and tree out of the way.


The local villagers join in clearing some brush pre-photos.


All right, this guy "Foreman Gus" - because he seemed like an expert and gave a lot of orders - really needed a new shirt. I wish I had a spare one with that morning.


Then the staff skinning the animal, though some skilled with the knife join in and help. Makes it go quicker.



Still waiting patiently ............


Finally, everything has been done, and it is time for ...




the first mad rush ...




... and survival of the fittest!




Cool shirt dude awaits unsure of whether to jump in.




Got some!




Get in there!




Mmmmmm, stomach lining, must be good, lets have a four way tug of war. slipping and sliding around ......

"Foreman Gus" holds his meat in his teeth, so he can also tug on the lining ...




Everyone gathers together for a group photo.




Don't be shy!




It is recommended in most recipes to nicely marinade the elephant meat first for additional flavour and texture.

Anyway that is what Nigella says in her "Nigella Express" cookbook.

Note the resemblance of the name to "Nitro Express". I think Nigel Lawson's young daughter just might be a shooter. .




Cool shirt dude, Get in there, or you'll miss out!




The Chief's rations are secure. He has 39 children to feed after all.




Colonel Mpofu's "Old Kariba Recipe" for "Elephant in a Bucket".

Cool outfit too!




Watch out below ... count the multiple axes flying ...

"Hey, I used to have two hands and ten fingers!" said the guy in the grey shirt turning and searching, "I think they are around here somewhere?"




The Cool shirt dude again, happy and armed! We called him "Sir"!




Very happy.




Buckets and bags full.




OK, this photo is out of sequence, from the second ele, but shouldn't this guy be servicing a jet aircraft somewhere?




Having a happy dance.




Was that an elephant only 25 minutes ago?




Chopping. Only a few are game to put their hands in now ...




"Ma, we're going to need a big soup pot for these bones."









There was an elephant here only 30 minutes ago, where has it gone?!



Putting a smile on a young ladies face.




"Nyama Tonight!"

EVERYONE'S HAPPY.











What meat is not eaten immediately, is sliced up into thin strips and hung onto trees and thorn bushes.

The environs of the villages become festooned with meaty ribbons as if for a festival.





The simple food of meat, eaten every day or most days bv us. Possibly every meal.

What we take for granted is a special occasion for some.












OK this is very important, I hope I am standing back far enough, so she looks BIG now!









Go back to "The Joys of Nyama" - Part 1

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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AspenHill
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: NitroX]
      #163729 - 09/07/10 11:21 AM

Very nice chronicle. Thanks for sharing these photos.

--------------------
~Ann

Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.

Aspen Hill Adventures

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Ben
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: AspenHill]
      #163736 - 09/07/10 12:41 PM

Thanks for sharing those, John. Quite an experience you had.

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: Ben]
      #163856 - 12/07/10 01:31 AM

Ann and Ben,

Thanks for the comments. Good to see a couple comments.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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mikeh416Rigby
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: NitroX]
      #163859 - 12/07/10 07:39 AM

That is simply amazing!

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #164826 - 24/07/10 01:45 AM

I think we need some elephant meat recipes now.

After all what is life without a bit of meat on our table!


***

Recipes "borrowed" from the internet.



Elephant Soup

In African villages, a successful hunt means a share of fresh meat for everyone. After traveling in equatorial Africa one observer wrote, "...the gorge they all go in for after a successful elephant hunt is a thing to see -- once". (Mary Kingsley, Travels in West Africa, 1897.) There can still be more meat than can be immediately consumed, especially when there are no refrigerators or freezers, so a tradition of preserving meat by drying or smoking has developed throughout Africa. Dried meat, called biltong (similar to jerky) is often eaten as is. This recipe shows how dried meat can be used to make a soup or stew, similar to what is described in the quotation from Baker, below.

What you need

* one-half pound of biltong, or dried or smoked meat like beef jerky (the original recipe mentions elephant meat coated with salt and honey and dried in the sun)
* six to eight cups of beef broth or beef stock
* one cup of mirepoix [diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs sautéed in butter] (optional)
* two onions, finely chopped
* one cup shelled, roasted peanuts (or one-half cup peanut butter)
* one cup boiled chana dal (or any lentils or dried peas)
* one small leek, finely chopped
* one cup of Wumubu mushrooms (or any kind of mushrooms), (the original recipe says that Wumubu are "a type of black African mushroom")
* two tablespoons of butter
* salt, black pepper (to taste)
* one-half cup cream

What you do

* Wash the biltong or dried meat in hot water, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
* In a large pot or dutch oven, combine the meat with enough cold water to cover it, and cook over a low heat for twenty to thirty minutes.
* Add the mirepoix and beef broth and simmer for two hours.
* Add the onions, peanuts, and dal (lentils), mushrooms, and leek. Cook until the dal are completely disintegrated.
* Adjust the seasoning. Add the butter and cream. Serve.

Recipe adapted from Exotische Gerichte: Rezepte aus der Orientalischen, Afrikanischen und Asiatischen Kueche by Werner Fisher, (Hugo Matthaes Verlag, Stuttgart, 1961). The original recipe also calls some good Madeira to be added along with the cream.

If possible, obtain real African biltong (from an international or African import grocery store). There are many websites with recipes telling how to make your own biltong. South Africans in particular are sensitive about comparing African biltong to American beef jerky.

There are many peanut recipes in Sub-Saharan Africa. See Peanuts in Africa.


From the Congo Cook book

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: NitroX]
      #164827 - 24/07/10 01:46 AM

More on elephant meat:

Samuel White Baker
the flesh of the elephant is extremely coarse, the foot and trunk are excellent, if properly cooked

In the early 1860's Samuel White Baker explored the sources of both the White Nile and the Blue Nile. In his book The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia, and the Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs (London: Macmillan and Co., 1867) he describes his travels in search of the source of the Blue Nile (in what is now Ethiopia). This excerpt describes cooking and drying elephant meat.

The African elephant is equally docile as the Indian, when domesticated, but we have no account of a negro tribe that has ever tamed one of these sagacious animals: their only maxim is "kill and eat." Although the flesh of the elephant is extremely coarse, the foot and trunk are excellent, if properly cooked. A hole should be dug in the earth, about four feet deep, and two feet six inches in diameter, the sides of which should be perpendicular; in this a large fire should be lighted, and kept burning for four or five hours with a continual supply of wood, so that the walls become red-hot. At the expiration of the blaze, the foot should be laid upon the glowing embers, and the hole covered closely with thick pieces of green wood laid parallel together to form a ceiling; this should be covered with wet grass, and the whole plastered with mud, and stamped tightly down to retain the heat. Upon the mud, a quantity of earth should be heaped, and the oven should not be opened for thirty hours, or more. At the expiration of that time, the foot will be perfectly baked, and the sole will separate like a shoe, and expose a delicate substance that, with a little oil and vinegar, together with an allowance of pepper and salt, is a delicious dish that will feed about fifty men.

The Arabs are particularly fond of elephant's flesh, as it is generally fat and juicy. I have frequently used the fat of the animal for cooking, but it should be taken from the body without delay; as, if left for a few hours, it partakes of the peculiar smell of the elephant, which no amount of boiling will overcome. The boiling of fat for preservation requires much care, as it should attain so great a heat that a few drops of water thrown upon the surface will hiss and evaporate as though cast upon molten metal; it should then be strained, and, when tolerably cool, be poured into vessels, and secured. No salt is necessary, provided it is thoroughly boiled. When an animal is killed, the flesh should be properly dried, before boiling down, otherwise the fat will not melt thoroughly, as it will be combined with the water contained in the body. The fat should be separated as well as possible from the meat; it should then be hung in long strips upon a line and exposed in the sun to dry; when nearly dried, it should be cut into pieces of about two inches in length, and placed in a large vessel over a brisk fire, and kept constantly stirred. As the fat boils out from the meat, the residue should be taken out with a pierced ladle; this, when cool, should be carefully preserved in leathern bags. This is called by the Arabs "reveet," a supply of which is most valuable, as a quantity can be served out to each man during a long march when there is no time to halt; it can be eaten without bread, and it is extremely nourishing. With a good supply of reveet in store, the traveller need not be nervous about his dinner. Dried meat should also be kept in large quantities; the best is that of the giraffe and hippopotamus, but there is some care required in preparing the first quality. It should be cut from portions of the animals as free as possible from sinews, and should be arranged in long thin strips of the diameter of about an inch and a quarter; these ribbon-like morsels should be hung in the shade. When nearly dry, they should be taken down, and laid upon a flat rock, upon which they should be well beaten with a stone, or club of hard wood; this breaks the fibre; after which they should be hung up and thoroughly dried, care being taken that the flesh is not exposed to the sun. If many flies are present, the flesh should be protected by the smoke of fires lighted to windward.

When meat is thus carefully prepared, it can be used in various ways, and is exceedingly palatable; if pounded into small pieces like coarse sawdust, it forms an admirable material for curry and rice. The Arabs make a first-class dish of melach, by mixing a quantity of pounded dried meat with a thick porridge of dhurra [sorghum] meal, floating in a soup of barmian (waker) [aubergine, eggplant], with onions, salt, and red peppers; this is an admirable thing if the party is pressed for time . . .

(Chapter XXI - Fertility of the country on the banks of the Rahad)

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: NitroX]
      #164828 - 24/07/10 01:47 AM

And ...

Paul Hoefler
A much harder beast to domesticate

Between 1900 and 1950, the elephant training station in the Belgian Congo evidently succeeded in training about one hundred African elephants, which were used for transportation and to clear vegetation. The tradition continues: a few trained elephants and elephant trainers can still be found at the African Elephant Domestication Center at Gangala-na-Bodio, near Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Elephants from the Center are used to carry tourists on game-viewing safaris. American filmmaker Paul Hoefler visited the elephant training station in the Belgian Congo and described it in his book, Africa Speaks: A Story of Adventure (The Chronicle of the first Trans-African Journey by Motor Truck from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean to Lagos on the Atlantic, through Central Equatorial Africa) (Philadelphia: John Winston Company, 1931):


For many years the Belgian government has maintained a training station for elephants at Wanda [, Belgian Congo]. From the wild herds that roam in the surrounding forests, they capture young animals and these are brought to the post for a course in discipline. They are then sold to plantations or to the missions. The African animal is quite different from the Indian species, a much harder beast to domesticate, never becoming entirely docile. Until the Belgians undertook this work, it was thought impossible to train the African elephant. They have succeeded to a certain extent, but the results obtained are small considering the amount effort and time expended, and it is not likely that this animal will ever become a great aid to mankind, comparable to his Indian cousin.
[Heart of the Congo]

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: NitroX]
      #164829 - 24/07/10 01:55 AM

Hard to find actual elephant meat recipes as most of the search references are comic crap but ... hopefully will find some more.

I have an old African cook book and also see if there is any recipes in there.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: The Joys of Nyama - Part 2 [Re: NitroX]
      #164830 - 24/07/10 01:57 AM

Indian elephants btw taste much more spicey.



--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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