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The African Gourmet

The African Gourmet: Explore African Culture & Recipes

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Botswana Madombi Traditional Dumplings Recipe

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Botswana Madombi Traditional Dumplings

Madombi Botswana Traditional Dumplings 

African recipes by African Gourmet 

Madombi are slightly sweet boiled dumplings served with Botswanan sauces, soups and stews. 


Prep time: 20 min 

Cook time: 30 min 

Total time: 50 min


Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Water for mixing

Water for boiling

2 tablespoons of oil

1 teaspoon of salt


Directions

In a large pot on high heat fill the pot halfway with water and add two tablespoons of oil and one teaspoon of salt.

For the dough

Add all the dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add water into the mixture until dough is formed. Dough should not be sticky. Make even size balls of dough and slightly flatten. One trick is to make an indentation in the middle of the flattened dough ball with your finger in order for the dumpling to cook faster. Carefully drop the dough into the boiling water cook 25-30 minutes serve with any Botswanan soup or stew meal.

Making African Botswana dumpling dough


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African woman farmer

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60–80 % of Africa’s calories come from her hands.
Yet the land, the credit, and the recognition still belong to someone else.

Read her story →

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Why "The African Gourmet" if you're an archive?

The name reflects our origin in 2006 as a culinary anthropology project. Over 18 years, we've evolved into a comprehensive digital archive preserving Africa's cultural narratives. "Gourmet" now signifies our curated approach to cultural preservation—each entry carefully selected and contextualized.

What distinguishes this archive from other cultural resources?

We maintain 18 years of continuous cultural documentation—a living timeline of African expression. Unlike static repositories, our archive connects historical traditions with contemporary developments, showing cultural evolution in real time.

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Our curation follows archival principles: significance, context, and enduring value. We preserve both foundational cultural elements and timely analyses, ensuring future generations understand Africa's complex cultural landscape.

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