Rhodesian Guinea Fowl

WARNING!!!  This is NOT a real recipe, but rather, just for fun and to explain a bit about African "Bush Food."

I'm going to explain a bit about "bush food," that sort of meal one learns about from the indigenous people and becomes "survival fare," if out in bush country and you're hungry.  I'll explain the history of it here.

Wild Guinea fowl are rather common to find in the bush country and maybe this practice isn't so much different than when the first settlers came to America and learned about wild turkey from the Native Americans.  For those not familiar with the history....Pilgrims weren't exactly drooling on that first Thanksgiving.  The Native Americans had caught and eaten wild turkey for a long time, but for the Europeans, it wasn't exactly a delicacy.  The turkey was sort of a member of the vulture family and not something you wanted to find on the dinner table.

One year when I was living in southern Africa, we decided to prepare a traditional "American Thanksgiving" dinner.  We had a few American friends who wanted to share as well as inviting some native people who worked for me and were very curious about this "American food."  I spent a fortune, as I had to have many of the items imported to make the dinner...not readily available there.  Two of the big challenges were to obtain turkeys and the ingredients for making Pecan Pie, which was a request from an American friend from Texas.  But, negotiating with a quality grocery store, I managed to have the necessary items shipped in.

My now ex-wife went to work preparing the dinner, while Afrikaner friends helped, wanting to learn how to prepare the foods.  It was a busy day for all, but eventually, the meal was ready and on the table.  Some of my native workers were more than a bit apprehensive about this food, but were good sports and willing to try.  Especially since I had been willing to try meals out in their villages...with much the same apprehension.  One of the big challenges was Pumpkin Pie.  Pumpkin was considered a vegetable...not a dessert.  "Pie" was something which had meat and vegetables in it and was a main course item.  I found them scooping the filling out of the pumpkin pie, putting it on their plates as a "vegetable."

Now, for the turkey...all nicely roasted and carved...ready to serve.  No one asked...they just took some of the carved meat and were eating it.  I noticed two of the native guys having a discussion in the tribal language, which I didn't understand.  I asked if there was a problem with the food.  One of the men told me they were discussing what sort of bird they were eating and he had told the other one it was turkey.  The other one didn't believe him and asked me.  I confirmed that yes, it was indeed a turkey.  He got a rather odd look on his face, got up from the table and ran out the door, looking very ill.  He was busy getting rid of the mouthful of turkey!  His friend explained that to them, turkey was the same as eating a vulture and really wasn't a pleasant experience!!!  Cultural exchanges can be so entertaining! LOL

Anyway, back to the Guinea fowl.  The indigenous people had quite a system for dealing with cooking Guinea fowl.  The bird is nearly impossible to pluck, but over time, they had developed quite a system.  They would take a Guinea fowl and gut it.  Then, using water they would make a big mud hole.  Using the mud, they would pack it all over the bird, feathers and all.  When they finished, it just looked like a big ball of mud.  The soil was clay, so the wet mud packed very well.  In the bush country, you'd see giant termite hills all around.  Some of them would be maybe 6 or 8 foot high and the termites saliva would make the mound very hard.  In fact, they were often blasted out with explosives....the soil hauled away and crushed...to be used for things like dirt tennis courts.  Spread the soil down....water it...roll it down and when it dried, it was almost like concrete.

Anyway, the natives would build a fire in the termite mound which would drive the termites out.  They would then knock a hole in the lower part of the mound and build a fire and a good bed of hot coals.  The termite mound sort of became a big roasting oven.  Once the coals were hot, the mud packed Guinea fowl would be placed on top of the hot coals to roast.  Naturally, the muddy clay would bake and become hard, sort of like brick.  When finished, the ball of baked mud and Guinea fowl would be removed, knocked against a rock to break the clay...and the skin and feathers would come off with the mud, leaving the bird ready to eat!  Ingenious, when you think about it.  The lesson was learned by European settlers who were surviving and living in the bush country...and passed along to modern bush survivors.  Thus, the foundation story for the recipe I'm now going to share.

Showing the love and affection Europeans have for Guinea fowl, this recipe began to circulate among Rhodesian's.  I think you'll get the idea right away!  So, here's a Rhodesian recipe for preparing a Guinea fowl!

Do not pluck the bird, skin it as it is quicker,
Gut and clean under running water,
Do not hang to ripen as they often escape this way,
Place in large pot and boil for 3 hours,
Drain off water and replace with 1 liter of fresh water
Cover with strips of bacon
Place segments of pumpkin and potatoes around bird
Under no circumstances should the bird be stuffed
Rumor from Que Que area (a region in Rhodesia) has it that they enjoy this
Place pot in oven for 2 hours at 280 degrees.
Check water level and baste every half hour
When bird is nicely browned remove potatoes and pumpkin
Throw bird out and eat the pot.
The potatoes and pumpkin make excellent ammo for noisy dogs

I hope you have enjoyed this little story and recipe.  It's one which has brought a lot of memories and laughter along the way and over the years!

Stan