Slaai is what they call salad in the Kingdom of Eswatini formerly known as Swaziland. About 70 percent of the population lives on subsistence farming. Some things they grow are beets, carrots, tomatoes, ginger, peanuts, corn and sorghum to name a few. In keeping with the idea of choosing things from the garden, I turned to my own, and just happen to have some romaine lettuce, beets and carrots, making a delicious slaai.
Honestly, I had a hard time finding recipes for this tiny nation however I did find a few photos from restaurants there. Beets and carrots were in several of the slaai photos, so I am confident that you would find a salad similar to this. For the dressing, I just made a simple ginger and lemon vinaigrette, the result was a delicious little salad or slaai which is how we began our Eswatini meal.
By the way, looking at photos of the country of Eswatini makes me want to go there. They are known for having great safari’s with the elusive rhinoceros being a real draw. The country can be accessed through South Africa with it being only about a 3-hour drive from Johannesburg. Although it is often visited as a day trip, I think I would want to spend a bit more time.
Did you know that the name of this country was just changed from Swaziland to Eswatini in 2018. I guess when you are a king in an absolute monarchy, you can pretty much do what you please. If you would like to learn more about this little nation be sure to check out “Our Journey to Eswatini”. There you will also find more authentic recipes like ostrich steak, pumpkin pap and mealie bread.
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Slaai eSwatini Salad
A simple salad with a light and refreshing dressing
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped into bite size pieces
- 2 medium roasted beets sliced
- 2 carrots grated
- 1/2 inch ginger freshly grated
- 1 lemon juice of
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a small bowl whisk together the lemon and grated ginger add salt and pepper to taste.
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In a salad bowl, add in the all the remaining ingredients.
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Pour over the dressing and toss gently and serve.
