Umfino — a taste of rural Eastern Cape

Since learning to make pap a few weeks ago, I’ve been courageous enough to experiment with the dish.  

If you missed it, I recently learnt how to make pap – at the age of 32 and after many failed attempts. 

Read more: Late bloomer! I finally know how to make pap

In the school of pap-making, I graduated with flying colours. I have since successfully made putu (or phuthu), which is also known in the Afrikaans community as krummelpap (it has a crumbly and grainy texture). There are gradations of pap, and if you can successfully make putu, you are considered an expert because it is difficult to master its texture. 

I now bring a bit of hubris to any conversation about pap, which many of you had with your braai on Heritage Day. However, Neil Hodgskiss, a Daily Maverick reader, challenged me to another version of pap that unlocked my childhood memories of visiting the rural Eastern Cape. 

A few weeks ago, I asked for South African recipes to make in the run-up to Heritage Day as I hit an inspiration wall and ran out of ideas. 

Many of you responded and I am thankful. The suggestions have not gone unnoticed as I am saving them for future columns. However, Hodgskiss’s suggestion of making umfino stood out as it was a staple dish when I visited my extended family in Dutywa, in rural Eastern Cape. A homecoming for city dwellers (like me) in the Eastern Cape would be celebrated with slaughtering chickens, a goat or a cow.

Something slaughtered and cooked would be served on a plate with many sides, including umfino. 

In essence, umfino is a maize meal dish/pap cooked with cabbage and leafy greens, mainly spinach.

Hodgskiss tells me that he grew up eating umfino on a farm and was yet to find a recipe that replicates the traditional dish from the rural Eastern Cape. Replicating anything from the rural Eastern Cape, when living in an urban area (me in Joburg), is a Herculean task, if not impossible. There are cooking techniques that add flavour to a dish, such as on an open fire using a cast-iron, three-legged pot (potjie). All I have to cook in my tiny apartment in Joburg is a gas stove and non-stick pots/pans. 

What makes umfino from rural Eastern Cape unique is that most (if not all) ruralists grow their vegetables. The cabbage, onion, spinach and potatoes added to umfino are freshly harvested from a backyard. The quality of vegetables will always be better than chemically injected ones that lose their freshness when travelling by road from farms to stores. 

Overall, umfino is versatile as it can be enjoyed on its own or with grilled meat. It is budget-friendly since the ingredients required are affordable and accessible. Umfino will also give you an isiXhosa cultural experience. Below is an umfino recipe from my Xhosa mother, who strongly recommends an open fire, potjie and home-grown veggies. 

Ray’s umfino

Ray’s umfino, done. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)

Stir until the pap is smooth and thick. Sauté the garlic, cabbage, onion and spinach. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)