What Is Mufushwa? The Zimbabwean Dried Vegetables Explained
Mufushwa is sun-dried leafy vegetables from Zimbabwe, soaked and cooked into a savoury relish for sadza. Here is what it is and how it is made.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Mufushwa is sun-dried leafy vegetables from Zimbabwe, greens such as covo, pumpkin leaves or mowa (amaranth) that are dried in the sun so they keep through the dry season. To cook them, the dried leaves are rehydrated in water, then simmered with onion, tomato and often peanut butter into a deeply savoury relish that is eaten with sadza. It is a traditional way of preserving vegetables when fresh greens are scarce, and the result is earthy, rich and comforting. In the UK you can find mufushwa and the ingredients to cook it at African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Mufushwa is sun-dried leafy vegetables from Zimbabwe, kept for the dry season.
- Common greens include covo and other dried muriwo, pumpkin leaves and mowa (amaranth).
- The dried leaves are rehydrated in water before cooking.
- They are then simmered with onion, tomato and often peanut butter into a savoury relish.
- It is eaten with sadza and has an earthy, rich flavour.
The smell of mufushwa softening in the pot, earthy greens meeting onion, tomato and peanut butter, is deeply familiar to many Zimbabwean families in Britain. It carries the memory of the dry season back home, of vegetables carefully dried and stored so the table was never bare, and of a resourceful kitchen that wasted nothing. To cook it far from home is to keep that quiet wisdom going.
There is real heritage in mufushwa, in the old habit of preserving the summer's greens against the lean months, a practice shared across Zimbabwe and the wider Southern African region. It turns something plain and thrifty into something rich and genuinely loved. To serve a bowl of dried greens in peanut sauce with sadza is to share a taste that means home, family and being looked after.
What Mufushwa Actually Is
Mufushwa is the Zimbabwean name for leafy vegetables that have been dried in the sun so they can be stored and eaten long after the growing season has passed. Fresh greens are blanched and then spread out to dry until they are brittle, which preserves them without any need for refrigeration. The greens used vary: covo and other dried muriwo are common, along with pumpkin leaves and mowa, the local amaranth. Once dried, the leaves keep for months, ready to be brought back to life in the kitchen whenever they are needed.
This is a traditional way to keep vegetables through the dry season, when fresh greens are hard to come by. It reflects the practical wisdom of a cooking tradition shared across Zimbabwe and the wider Southern African region, among the Shona and Ndebele peoples alike. Rather than a single fixed recipe, mufushwa is really a method, a way of preserving the abundance of one season to nourish the family through the next. You will find it sitting comfortably within the wider world of Zimbabwean food, where thrift and flavour go hand in hand.
How Mufushwa Is Cooked and Served
Cooking mufushwa begins with rehydration. The dried leaves are soaked and simmered in water until they soften and swell, regaining much of the body they had when fresh. Once tender, they are drained and cooked into a relish: onion and tomato are fried down to a base, the greens are stirred in, and the whole thing is seasoned and simmered until rich. Very often a generous spoon of peanut butter, known locally as dovi, is added, melting into the greens to give a thick, nutty, deeply savoury sauce.
The finished dish is served as a relish alongside sadza, the stiff maize staple that anchors most Zimbabwean meals. A mouthful of sadza is used to scoop up the greens, the mild starch balancing the earthy, concentrated flavour of the dried vegetables. Mufushwa can be made mild or given a little more depth with extra onion and tomato, and the peanut butter version is especially prized for how rich and satisfying it becomes. Please note that when peanut butter is used the dish contains peanuts; cooked without it, mufushwa is naturally vegan.
Why Mufushwa Matters in Zimbabwe
Mufushwa is a good example of how traditional kitchens made the most of what the land provided. Drying the summer's greens meant a family could still put vegetables on the table through the dry months, when little was growing. That resourcefulness is woven into everyday Zimbabwean cooking, and mufushwa remains a comforting, well loved dish rather than merely a practical one.
Its earthy, concentrated taste is quite distinct from that of fresh greens, and for many people it is precisely that flavour, deepened by drying and enriched with peanut butter, that makes it special. It is honest, nourishing food that speaks of home, of careful preparation and of a meal shared around sadza.
Where to Buy Mufushwa in the UK
Mufushwa is sold ready-dried by African food shops in Britain, which means you can enjoy it without drying the greens yourself. Look for packs of dried covo, dried muriwo, pumpkin leaves or mowa, and pick up peanut butter, onions and tomatoes to cook them with. Shops serving Zimbabwean and Southern African customers are the most likely to carry the dried greens, so they are the best place to start. You can find African food stores near you to see what is stocked nearby, then rehydrate, simmer and serve with sadza at home.
Frequently asked questions
What is mufushwa?
Mufushwa is sun-dried leafy vegetables from Zimbabwe, greens such as covo, other dried muriwo, pumpkin leaves or mowa (amaranth) that are dried in the sun so they keep through the dry season. To eat them, the dried leaves are rehydrated in water and then simmered with onion, tomato and often peanut butter into a savoury relish served with sadza.
What does mufushwa taste like?
Mufushwa has an earthy, concentrated flavour that is quite different from fresh greens, because drying deepens the taste. Cooked down with onion and tomato it is savoury and comforting, and when peanut butter is added it becomes rich, thick and nutty. It is milder or bolder depending on how much onion, tomato and spice the cook uses.
How is mufushwa cooked?
The dried leaves are first soaked and simmered in water until they soften and swell. They are then drained and cooked into a relish with fried onion and tomato, seasoned to taste, and very often finished with a spoon of peanut butter that melts into a rich, nutty sauce. It is served alongside sadza.
Is mufushwa vegan?
Cooked simply with greens, onion, tomato and spices, mufushwa is naturally vegan. Many cooks add peanut butter for richness, which keeps it plant-based but means the dish then contains peanuts, so anyone with a peanut allergy should ask how it was made. Without peanut butter it remains a filling, meat-free dish.
Where can I buy mufushwa in the UK?
Mufushwa is sold ready-dried by African food shops, especially those serving Zimbabwean and Southern African customers, along with the peanut butter, onions and tomatoes to cook it. Look for dried covo, dried muriwo, pumpkin leaves or mowa. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.
