On Wednesday, October 8th, we were invited to a pastor's house for a traditional South African dinner. The Pastor's wife cooked the meal. They are a young couple and are pregnant with their first child. Baby Judah will be born in January. The picture is of the food that I ate. I will go through the menu:

Pap (pop)- Mielie (mealy) pap is a porridge made from mealie meal and is a staple food of the inhabitants of South Africa. The mealie meal is poured into boiling water and mixed then cooked for a few minutes. It can be mixed with salt, butter or sweet corn for variety. (The pap is the white stuff in a pile with the red gravy on top)

Tripe (it is pronounced how you see it)- The stomach and intestines of a cow used as food. It is cleaned, then cooked long and slow until soft then seasoned to taste. (This is pictured on the top right of my plate)

Mopani Worms (mo-panie)- The mopani worms is a worm scientifically known as "Imbrassia belina". It is eaten mostly in the southern African region. After being "harvested" they are put to dry then before eating they are fried or boiled with salt for taste. (This is the black thing on my plate just above the sausage and below the tripe)

Morogo (mo-ro-ho)- A variety of wild leaves taken from a bean plant. It is cooked until soft and can be dried for future use. When preparing you can add tomato, onion or vegetables of your choice. (This is green and picture on the top right of my plate.)

Gravy- This is a light soup made with tomatoes and onions. They are fried until soft then seasoned to taste. It is usually served with pap dishes. (This is the red gravy on top of my pap)

Atchar- A salad made from raw, green mangoes and chillies. It comes from the Indian culture in Southern Africa but is preferred amongst most African cultures. (This is the orange stuff at the very top of my plate)

I had the hardest time eating the Mopani worm. I ate it whole and I had a hard time getting it down and keeping it down. I don't know that it tasted all that bad but it was a mind game. I did not like the Morogo. It had a very strong taste. The other green stuff you see is cooked spinach. I could eat that just fine. After eating the worm I could not bring myself to even try the tripe (cows intestines). I was already scarred from the worm. This was a great cultural experience!