Pap

Pap, also called mieliepap, is a stiff porridge made from ground white maize meal cooked in water or milk until it forms a firm, dough-like mass, and it is one of the most important staple foods in Southern Africa. It is eaten under different regional names across the wider region, including sadza in Zimbabwe, nshima in Zambia and ugali further north and east in Africa, while in South Africa it is most commonly called pap or mieliepap and eaten with vegetable relishes, gravy or meat stews such as chakalaka. Because maize meal is inexpensive relative to other staple foods, pap remains an accessible daily food for lower-income households across Southern Africa as well as a common accompaniment to meals at every income level. In 2017, the wider maize-porridge dish family that pap belongs to was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, among the small number of everyday foods to receive that recognition.