Zimbabwe

Hot peppers bring welcome heat and colour to Zimbabwean food, but the overall cuisine tends to be moderately spiced rather than intensely fiery. Sadza, the staple maize porridge, is often served with relishes and stews like chakalaka, a tomato‑onion‑pepper mix that can be cooked quite hot with fresh chilies to wake up otherwise simple plates.

Chopped green and red chilies are frequently sautéed with onions and tomatoes for sauces that accompany kapenta (small dried fish), grilled meats, and vegetable dishes such as muboora (pumpkin leaves) or muriwo (leafy greens) enriched with peanut butter.

In many households, a basic chili relish or hot pepper sauce sits on the table so each person can dial up the burn, reflecting a taste for layered, vegetable‑forward heat rather than chili for its own sake. Together, these uses make hot peppers a flexible accent woven through everyday Zimbabwean meals.