In brief
- Seswaa: bone-in beef simmered for a long time in salted water, then pounded into fibres.
- Origin: Botswana, the national dish.
- Essential ingredients: bone-in beef (chuck, shank), salt, water.
- Served at weddings, funerals and national celebrations, with pap and morogo.
Origins and cultural history of seswaa
Seswaa is considered Botswana's national dish. It is made with beef, sometimes goat, on the bone, simmered for a long time and then pounded with a pestle until it shreds into fine fibres. It is traditionally served on major occasions: weddings, funerals, ceremonies and national celebrations such as independence day festivities. In the south of the country and in the west of South Africa, where Tswana communities also live, the same dish is called loswao.
The traditional recipe comes down to three ingredients: meat, water and salt. The pounding, which works the melted fat and marrow into the meat, gives seswaa its tender, melting texture, quite different from simply boiled beef.
What are the essential ingredients of seswaa
Preparing traditional seswaa relies on very few ingredients: bone-in meat, water and salt are enough for the original recipe.
- bone-in beef (chuck, shank, or another cut suited to simmering)
- water
- salt
What to know about the seswaa
Seswaa is a dish of beef on the bone, simmered for a long time in salted water, then pounded with a pestle until it shreds into fine strands. The traditional recipe has three ingredients: the meat, water and salt. Pounding works the marrow from the bones into the meat, which gives a tender, melting texture, quite different from plain boiled beef. A national dish of Botswana, it is served at weddings, funerals and national celebrations, with pap and morogo.
Frequently asked questions about seswaa
Does seswaa contain onion or garlic?
The traditional recipe does not: only meat, water and salt go into the original seswaa. More recent versions sometimes add onion and garlic, fried and then mixed into the meat, but this is not the historical preparation of the dish.
Why is seswaa meat pounded?
Pounding with a pestle or a wooden spoon shreds the meat into fine fibres and works in the melted fat and marrow from the bones, which gives seswaa its soft texture and rich flavour, quite different from beef simply boiled and sliced.
Where can I find the ingredients for seswaa in France?
NKOSI sells dry and ambient products and does not offer fresh meat: seswaa beef is bought from a butcher. NKOSI ships its grocery products from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
