Skyrocketing food prices have sent East London township residents back to their stoves to find new ways of putting cheap and tasty food on the table.
Chicken intestines and rears (parson’s nose) are proving to be a cheaper alternative for a lot of families in the townships.
The Saturday Dispatch went around lifting lids on pots to see how residents were finding their new “cuisine”.
In Duncan Village the trade in amaderemse (chicken innards) at R10 a kg is brisk.
Nonzame Magwanya, a meat hawker, has been supporting her family of six for the past three years through both door-to-door and street sales.
Magwanya said the idea of smousing chicken intestines came when she was looking for employment and couldn’t find any.
“Ordinary meat is expensive and this kind of meat is affordable,” said Magwanya simply.
Boniswa Kama, one of her regular customers, said the intestines had made it possible for her and other families to have meat on their plates again. At times she even craved the unique taste. She has her own special spices to add to the dish.
“Amaderemse impress us not only with their price but with their natural flavour as well,” said Kama.
The manager of Abattoir Meats, Marilyn Colters, said the demand for off-cuts had increased significantly over the past three years.
Off-cuts were originally given away to farm workers, but since a market had sprung up for them, butchers were now starting to sell them.
When her business started selling off-cuts the customers were hawkers who would retail the meat in townships.
“Now we see ordinary families that come to us for our off-cuts and our speciality – a mixture of pork and beef which is famously referred to as nyakanyaka,” said Colters.
The regional president of the African Farmers’ Association of SA, Joe Mnyengo, said the drought had caused many livestock deaths in 2015, which translated to a R400-million loss.
This put the price of meat and eggs under tremendous pressure.
“We are not surprised that people are taking to off-cuts as an alternative. Retail meat is getting more and more expensive and with the current drought it does not look like there will be any relief in the near future.”
Mnyengo feels the government should assist hawkers to mobilise and organise. This would raise hygiene standards, prevent contamination of the meat and sustain the market.
“The government should look at the issue of meat hawkers with the intention of developing the area, because it truly serves an existing market,” he said.
Iindununu chicken is another dish which is fast getting the attention of thrifty cooks in township homes.
Lulu Janssen, a hawker in Duncan Village, said she was getting personal satisfaction at seeing how the affordable product she sold was helping to put meat on the plates of the poorest families.
Janssen started selling chicken off-cuts in 2012 on a micro scale, but sale volumes have doubled since then.
“People have warmed up to the idea of iindununu.
Even some middle class families have joined in and they buy this meat,” said Janssen.
Creative ways to beat high food costs
Chicken intestines and rears (parson’s nose) are proving to be a cheaper alternative for a lot of families in the townships.
The Saturday Dispatch went around lifting lids on pots to see how residents were finding their new “cuisine”.
In Duncan Village the trade in amaderemse (chicken innards) at R10 a kg is brisk.
Nonzame Magwanya, a meat hawker, has been supporting her family of six for the past three years through both door-to-door and street sales.
Magwanya said the idea of smousing chicken intestines came when she was looking for employment and couldn’t find any.
“Ordinary meat is expensive and this kind of meat is affordable,” said Magwanya simply.
Boniswa Kama, one of her regular customers, said the intestines had made it possible for her and other families to have meat on their plates again. At times she even craved the unique taste. She has her own special spices to add to the dish.
“Amaderemse impress us not only with their price but with their natural flavour as well,” said Kama.
The manager of Abattoir Meats, Marilyn Colters, said the demand for off-cuts had increased significantly over the past three years.
Off-cuts were originally given away to farm workers, but since a market had sprung up for them, butchers were now starting to sell them.
When her business started selling off-cuts the customers were hawkers who would retail the meat in townships.
“Now we see ordinary families that come to us for our off-cuts and our speciality – a mixture of pork and beef which is famously referred to as nyakanyaka,” said Colters.
The regional president of the African Farmers’ Association of SA, Joe Mnyengo, said the drought had caused many livestock deaths in 2015, which translated to a R400-million loss.
This put the price of meat and eggs under tremendous pressure.
“We are not surprised that people are taking to off-cuts as an alternative. Retail meat is getting more and more expensive and with the current drought it does not look like there will be any relief in the near future.”
Mnyengo feels the government should assist hawkers to mobilise and organise. This would raise hygiene standards, prevent contamination of the meat and sustain the market.
“The government should look at the issue of meat hawkers with the intention of developing the area, because it truly serves an existing market,” he said.
Iindununu chicken is another dish which is fast getting the attention of thrifty cooks in township homes.
Lulu Janssen, a hawker in Duncan Village, said she was getting personal satisfaction at seeing how the affordable product she sold was helping to put meat on the plates of the poorest families.
Janssen started selling chicken off-cuts in 2012 on a micro scale, but sale volumes have doubled since then.
“People have warmed up to the idea of iindununu.
Even some middle class families have joined in and they buy this meat,” said Janssen.
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