Diet – #BlackVegans

After a few years as a plant-based eater, actress and entrepreneur Zinzi Zungu explains how this dietary choice is not in conflict with her cultural pride

Food plays a significant role in connecting people with their culture and heritage. A big part of my childhood memories are centred around umcimbi – an occasion where family and friends gather to celebrate ancestral traditions through food.

If you are Zulu, or African in general, then you know that no meal is complete without meat. So, coming from a big Zulu family with many cultural and social events, meat was a staple in our home – particularly, red meat.

IDENTIFYING THE MEAT OF THE MATTER

By the age of 11, I knew that I didn’t enjoy the taste of red meat. It was tough and unpleasant, and left an unsettling feeling in my tummy. I knew as soon as I had a choice, that meat would take a backseat in my life.

There were many foods that I did enjoy growing up. Some of my favourites included beans and bone soup, tripe and dumplings, imifino no phuthu (pap and African spinach) and amasi (sour milk). Even to this day, just the smell of these dishes gives me a warm comforting feeling. I knew what I liked and didn’t like, but couldn’t change much about what was put on my plate.

The first time I heard the word “vegan” was from my Buddhist uncle whom I lived with when I moved to Joburg for my first year of varsity. Along with all the trappings and revelations of the big city, food was a big discovery for me.

We were never allowed to do sleepovers growing up. So, the only home cooking I knew was the one from my own home or with extended family members.

My new Joburg friends introduced me to dishes like ting (fermented porridge), and salads that didn’t consist of beetroot and cabbage with carrots, and the traditional green ones.

Living with my uncle, I also learnt a lot. I realised that I could be healthy and not consume red meat. I found it fascinating that he did not eat any animal products; that he could, for example, eat cereal without cow’s milk. In time, I also stopped eating chicken and fish.

By the time I had moved in with my boyfriend who loved his meat, I had to cook two meals. Cooking was never really my thing, but being vegan forced me to learn and experiment with food. My nervousness in eating vegan food was that it might lack flavour, so I began to immerse myself into this unknown food territory. Even though my palate may not have been exposed to a lot of different foods, it was accustomed to strong and bold tastes. I’d always loved the spices in my mom’s curries, and the different combinations of textures and herbs in the food she cooked; I loved that umami (savoury) taste.

I also began to see a difference in my skin and allergies. I felt lighter and was far less sickly.

HEADING WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER

My dabble in and out of plant-based foods continued for a few years as I would sometimes eat fish and chicken. During this period, veganism became more mainstream and cooler. Even superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter became vegan for a while.

Over the years, veganism has grown in leaps and bounds in South Africa. From a time where there was just one vegan restaurant in an area, there are now sometimes as many as 20 options. Most restaurants now also include tasty and innovative vegan choices on their menus. I think the introduction of meat-free Mondays and veganuary has also helped people take the option of being vegan more seriously.

CULTURAL GUIDANCE

We also now even have African entrepreneurs such as Dr Tracy Nelwamondo of Modern Traditions, who sells wholesome natural products that are instilled with traditional wisdom and backed by medical science. These include items like marula nut butter, baobab flour and the best vegan ice cream that is made with marula nuts, baobab and Moroccan dates. Dr Nelwamondo became an Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) health coach after seeing many clients with chronic health issues at her medical practice.

Local villages that recognise that African foods and ingredients remain under-represented, have also been an important part of this healthy food movement that looks to the diets of our ancestors for guidance. They’re participating by supplying equitably sourced and sustainably grown

indigenous African ingredients such as gluten-free flour made from teff, and tiger nuts.

Currently, I am back on track on my food journey and eating a fully plant-based diet. I am a proud Zulu and, alongside this, choose to not consume meat, and don’t believe in animal cruelty. Slaughtering is still a big part of my culture and tied into some monumental moments, like when I had umemulo (coming of age traditional ceremony) – a big part of the celebrations involved slaughtering a cow, and with umembeso (traditional wedding practice), a goat was slaughtered to welcome the groom.

Even though I don’t eat the meat, the preparation process is a wonderful social time where my sisters and aunts sit together, cooking and laughing. I never want to lose out on this family custom.

Having experienced the health benefits of being vegan, I’m constantly reading and learning more about food, such as the effects of hormones in meat, and even pesticides in plants. I feel like my dietary choices are serving me well.

I do have moments where I miss eating tripe. But overall, I feel very safe in my decision not to consume any meat and animal products.