What Is Derere? The Zimbabwean Okra Relish Explained
Derere is the Zimbabwean okra relish, cooked down until smooth and slippery and eaten with sadza. Here is what it is and how it is made.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Derere is a much loved Zimbabwean relish made from okra, or sometimes dried wild greens, cooked down with a little water until it turns soft, smooth and characteristically slippery, a texture Zimbabweans call drawn. It is prized precisely for that silky, slippery quality, which makes it easy to scoop up with sadza, the stiff maize staple that partners almost every Zimbabwean meal. Some cooks finish it with a spoon of peanut butter or a little tomato and onion, but at heart it is a simple, comforting, everyday relish. In the UK the okra, dried greens and peanut butter to make it are sold by African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Derere is a Zimbabwean relish made from okra, or from certain dried wild greens.
- It is cooked down until soft, smooth and slippery, a quality known as drawn.
- It is prized for that silky, slippery texture that scoops up beautifully with sadza.
- It is eaten with sadza, usually scooped up by hand.
- It is naturally vegan, and contains peanut only when peanut butter is added.
The pull of a spoon through a bowl of derere, the way the relish stretches and slips, is one of the most familiar sights at a Zimbabwean table. For many Zimbabweans in Britain it brings back a plate of sadza and a shared bowl of something slippery and green, the everyday food of home eaten with the hands, and the easy comfort of a meal that never needed to be fancy to be loved.
There is real heritage in that slipperiness. The drawn texture that some might find unusual is exactly what Zimbabweans reach for, a quality passed down and genuinely enjoyed, and okra and wild greens have fed families across Zimbabwe for generations. To cook derere far from home is to keep that everyday tradition alive, and to set a bowl of it beside fresh sadza is to serve a taste of home in its plainest, truest form.
What Derere Actually Is
Derere is the Zimbabwean name for a relish made most often from okra, and sometimes from dried wild greens such as nyevhe, the spider plant. Whichever green is used, it is cooked down slowly with a little water, and often a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, until it softens right down into a smooth, glossy relish. As it cooks it becomes mucilaginous, meaning it turns silky and slippery, and Zimbabweans describe this quality as drawn. Far from being a fault, that slipperiness is the whole point, the texture people love and look for.
The result is a soft, savoury relish, mild and green in flavour, that clings to sadza and slides down easily. Some cooks keep it very plain, just the greens, water and a little salt. Others enrich it, stirring in a spoon of peanut butter for a rounder, nuttier taste, or building a light base of tomato and onion first. Either way the character of the dish stays the same, a gentle, comforting relish defined more by its texture than by any strong seasoning.
Derere sits comfortably among the relishes of Zimbabwean food, the small savoury dishes that give the maize staple its flavour and make up an everyday meal. In a Zimbabwean meal the relish, known broadly as muriwo when it is a leafy green, is what accompanies the sadza, and derere is one of the most distinctive of them because of its slippery quality. It is humble, home-style cooking, the sort of dish that rarely appears on a restaurant menu yet is deeply familiar in kitchens across the country.
How Derere Is Made and Served
Making derere begins with the greens. Fresh okra is sliced, or dried greens are rehydrated, then cooked in a pot with water. A little bicarbonate of soda is often added, which helps the greens break down and draws out that signature slippery texture, and the relish is simmered and stirred until it is soft and smooth. From there cooks take it in different directions, some keeping it simple with just salt, others frying an onion and tomato base first, and many finishing with peanut butter for richness. The aim throughout is a tender, glossy, drawn relish rather than a dry one.
Derere is served as the relish alongside sadza, and this pairing is the classic way to eat it. A piece of sadza is broken off, rolled in the hand and used to scoop up the slippery relish, so the two are eaten together in every mouthful. The soft sadza and the drawn relish suit each other perfectly, the one firm and neutral, the other silky and savoury, and the slipperiness that makes derere so recognisable is exactly what makes it so easy to gather up by hand. Because it is plant-based in its plain form, derere is a naturally vegan dish, and it makes a light, wholesome partner to the filling maize staple. When peanut butter is stirred through, it becomes a little richer and more filling, though still simple. It is honest, everyday food, the kind of relish that turns a plate of sadza into a proper, satisfying meal.
How Derere Differs From West African Okra Soup
People sometimes ask how derere relates to the okra soups found elsewhere in Africa. Okra is loved right across the continent, and its slippery, drawing quality is enjoyed in many cuisines, including the okra soups of West Africa. Derere, though, is its own distinct Zimbabwean relish. Where a West African okra soup is often a fuller, richer soup built with meat or fish and eaten in generous bowls, derere is a simpler relish, cooked down and eaten in modest amounts as the savoury companion to sadza. The two are cousins rather than the same dish, sharing the family love of that drawn texture while each keeping its own place at its own table. Derere, in particular, remains firmly a dish of the Zimbabwean and wider Southern African kitchen, shared with the Shona and Ndebele peoples and with neighbours across the region.
Where to Buy Derere Ingredients in the UK
Derere is a homemade relish, and its ingredients are easy to gather in Britain from African food shops. Fresh or frozen okra is widely stocked, and shops serving Zimbabwean and Southern African customers often carry dried wild greens such as nyevhe, along with the peanut butter many cooks use to enrich the relish. Bicarbonate of soda, the small kitchen helper that draws out the slippery texture, is an everyday store cupboard item and needs no special trip. You will also want the maize meal to make the sadza that goes with it. None of it is hard to find, so derere is a simple, affordable dish to make at home. You can find African food stores near you to see what is nearby.
Frequently asked questions
What is derere?
Derere is a Zimbabwean relish made from okra, or sometimes from dried wild greens such as nyevhe, cooked down with a little water until it is soft, smooth and slippery. That slippery, drawn texture is exactly what it is prized for. It is eaten with sadza, the stiff maize staple, and is sometimes enriched with peanut butter or a little tomato.
What does derere taste like?
Derere is mild, savoury and green in flavour, with a soft, silky, slippery texture that Zimbabweans call drawn. Plain versions taste gently of the okra or greens themselves, while versions finished with peanut butter are richer and nuttier, and a tomato and onion base adds a little more savour. It is comforting and easy to eat, sliding down with each scoop of sadza.
How is derere made?
Okra is sliced, or dried greens are rehydrated, then cooked in water, often with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, and simmered until soft and slippery. Some cooks keep it plain with just salt, others fry an onion and tomato base first, and many stir in peanut butter to finish. The aim is a smooth, glossy, drawn relish to eat with sadza.
Is derere vegan?
In its plain form derere is entirely plant-based, made from okra or greens, water and salt, which makes it naturally vegan. It stays vegan when finished with tomato and onion. The only common addition to watch for is peanut butter, which adds peanut, so anyone with a peanut allergy should check how a particular derere has been made.
Where can I buy derere ingredients in the UK?
Derere is made at home, so African food shops are the place to buy the ingredients: fresh or frozen okra, dried wild greens such as nyevhe, peanut butter and maize meal for the sadza. Shops serving Zimbabwean and Southern African customers are most likely to stock the dried greens. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.