Dombolo (also known as umbhako,
ujeqe, dipapata in Setswana and rostile in Xhosa) is a traditional South African
steamed bread
Steamed bread is a kind of bread, typically made from wheat, that is prepared by steaming instead of baking. Steamed bread is produced and consumed all around the world. In Chinese cuisine, ''mantou'' is a staple food of northern China, where up t ...
.
It is a popular staple food in many homes within South Africa.
The bread is prepared in a container in a pot of boiling water.
It differs from the traditional
dumpling
Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...
in that it is prepared using yeast instead of baking powder. There are different variations of the dish around South Africa. In the
Zulu culture, dombolo is cooked on top of a stew rather than on its own in a separate pot. That variation of the steamed bread is known amongst the Zulus as uJeqe. Dombolo is often consumed with different kinds of side dishes such as chicken stew, beef stew, oxtail stew, lamb stew, or
tripe
Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep.
Types
Beef
Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...
.
Dombolo can be made by using cake flour and placed on top of a stew to soak in the stew's flavours.
It is related to Dutch
Jan-in-de-zak or
broeder
Broeder (also known as Jan in de Zak and pork) is a traditional Dutch dish whose central ingredient is buckwheat flour.
Name
''Broeder'' is the Dutch word for brother; this is how the dish is commonly known in West-Friesland. "Jan in de zak", o ...
.
See also
*
List of steamed foods
This is a list of steamed foods and dishes that are typically or commonly prepared by the cooking method of steaming.
Steamed foods
* Ada – a food item from Kerala, usually made of rice flour with sweet filling inside.
* Bánh – in Hano ...
*
South African cuisine
South African cuisine reflects the diverse range of culinary traditions embodied by the various communities that inhabit the country. Among the indigenous peoples of South Africa, the Khoisan foraged over 300 species of edible food plants, suc ...
*
*
References
South African breads
Steamed buns
{{SouthAfrica-cuisine-stub