Types of foods in Lucazi - Vocabulary

Type of foods – Vocabulary

In the sections below you will learn lots of words about the types of foods in Luchazi. The picture below shows the different types of foods in Luchazi Language.

Vegetables and tubers vocabulary

A vegetable refers to part of a plant that can be cooked and eaten with a main course.

1. Likunde = bean or an edible seed, often kidney-shaped, that grows in a seedpod.
2. Makunde (plural) = beans, lentils.
3. Vipoke = pea beans.
4. Vuihua = mushrooms. Luchazi people are known for their love of mushrooms and are experts in processing edible mushrooms. During rainy season, they go into the forests to collect edible mushrooms of which some are processed and dried. The common mushrooms (in Luchazi language) include vumbalambindzi, tete, kambandze, vulialuku, vuvanda mbambi, vusua, just to name a few.
5. Zindzilo = eggplants.
6. Mutete = roselle.
7. Polu or Vipolu = leek or leeks.
8. Sapola or Visapola = onion or onions.
9. Tulumingo = garlic.
10. Ku lumba = to give (especially food) more flavour by adding seasoning or savoury ingredients e.g. herbs, spices etc.

Fruits and melons vocabulary

Fruits can be eaten raw after becoming ripe.

1. Mihako = fruits.
2. Pepinusi = cucumber.
3. Vipepinusi = cucumber or cucumbers.
4. Melau = melon.
5. Vimelau = melons.
6. Zindungu = chili peppers. 
7. Kahombo = scotch bonnet chili pepper. and 
8. Kanike uasina = African bird eye chili pepper.

Fruits in Luchazi language

Wild fruits include the following:

1. Makolo,
2. Malolo,
3. Mantikala, 
4. Makolongondzo, 
5. Zimbungo,
6. Zinjindu, 
7. Zintsakala, 
8. Zintsala,
9. Zindzongolo, 
10. Zindzele, 
11. Mahuvi,
12. Zintsole, 
13. Zintsombo, 
14. Zintsivi,
15. Zimpungo,  
16. Zimpundia,

Grains, beans and nuts vocabulary

Grains are seeds from grasses called cereals which are cooked and eaten whole. Grains like maize, millet, sorghum and wheat are pounded into a powder called flour which is then used to make foods like

1. Mundele = maize.
2. Lipungu or pungu = multi-coloured heirloom corn.
3. Valuku = finger millet.
4. Masangu = bulrush millet.
5. Masa = sorghum.
6. Tiliku = wheat.
7. Vielu via ndongo = groundnuts.
8.  Vielu via kaseke = vigna substerranea; also known as Bambara ground-beans.

Other important words include:

1. Kutua = to pound.
2. Kulola = to grind or to crush something into tiny pieces.
3. Vunga = flour or a powder made by grinding grains.
4. Civundu ca kutongela = a thickened meal porridge made from a mixture of maize flour and cassava flour.
5. Civundu ca museza = leftover meal porridge.

Meat vocabulary

Meat refers to the animal or bird flesh eaten as food. The Luchazi raise pigs, goats, sheep and cattle for their meat.

1. Ku papula = to butcher.
2. Ku va = to skin a slaughtered animal.
3. Ku vavula = to singe.

1. Ntsitu = meat; animal or bird flesh eaten as food.
2. Ntsitu ya ngombe = beef or meat from a cow, bull and ox.
3. Ntsitu ya mpembe = goat meat.
4. Ntsitu ya mpanga = mutton.
5. Ntsitu ya ngulu = pork.
6. Ntsitu ya katali = dog meat.
7. Ntsitu ya mu musenge = game meat or bush meat.
8. Ntsitu ya mbambi =
9. Ntsitu ya mpakasa = buffalo meat.
10. Ntsitu ya ngolo = zebra meat.
11. Ntsitu ya ntiengu = roan antelope meat.
12. Ntsitu ya combo = bush pig meat
13. Ntsitu ya cihengi = warthog meat.
14. Ntsitu ya ciningi = porcupine meat.
15. Ntsitu ya kalumba = rabbit meat.
16. Cipunga = cannon bone.
17. Cipunga ca ngulu = trotter or pig's foot.
18. Via muzimo = tripe meat. Offals; organs from an animal or bird eaten as food.
19. Vufuati = refuse.
20. Ntsitu ya linoka = snake meat.

Poultry vocabulary

Poultry refers to birds kept for meat and eggs. The Luchazi also hunt wild birds for food. Birds are boiled or roasted, or they are cut into pieces before being cooked. Birds kept as poultry by the Luchazi people include free-range chickens, ducks, geese, and guinea fowls.

1. Ntsitu ya nkumbua = ostrich meat.
2. Ntsitu ya kasumbi = chicken meat.
3. Ntsitu ya kanga = guinea fowl meat.
4. Ntsitu ya lipato = duck meat.
5. Ntsitu ya ntsintsi = geese meat.
6. Ntsitu ya ntento = quail meat.
7. Ntsitu ya livemba = pigeon meat.
8. Liyaki = egg.
9. Mayaki (plural) = eggs.

1. Ntsinda = egg yolk.
2. Luivaluiva = white of the egg.
3. Mayaki a nkumbua = ostrich eggs.
4. Mayaki a ntsintsi = goose eggs.
5. Mayaki a lipato = duck eggs.
6. Mayaki a kasumbi = chicken eggs.
7. Mayaki a ntento = quail eggs.
8. Ku-umba = lay eggs.
9. Vutamena = to sit on eggs so as to hatch them.
10. Kutota = to hatch.
11. Camba = chicken run/pan.
12. Lisua = nest.
13. Lifundunguino = nest.

Fish vocabulary

The most widely eaten fresh-water fish include mapuli, mingumba. Most of these are caught in rivers and lakes using fishing rods, fishing baskets, nets or spears. Most fish are cooked either by frying, roasting or boiling. The fish can be cooked whole or cut into small pieces and used to make stew or soup. But however, you eat your fish, watch out for bones!

1. Intsi = fish; an animal that lives and swims in water and breathes through gills.
2. Intsi ua ku-uma = dried fish.
3. Vantsi (plural) = fish.
4. Vantsi va ku-uma (plural) = dried fish.
5. Intsi ua ku kanga = fried fish.
6. Intsi ua ku-uma ua kanga = fried dry fish.
7. Vantsi va ku kanga (plural) = fried fish.
8. Vantsi va ku-uma va ku kanga = fried dry fish.
9. Intsi ua ku-oca = roasted or grilled fish.
10. Vantsi va ku-oca (plural) = roasted or grilled fish.
11. Intsi ua ku teleka = boiled fish.
12. Vantsi va ku teleka (plural) = boiled fish.

The freshwater fish consumed by Luchazi people, which we shall name in Luchazi for lack of their equivalent scientific name, are:

1. Kapala = fish fingerling, young fish.
2. Tupala (plural) = fish fingerlings, young fish, fry.
3. Kafuti = small dark bulldog fish.
4. Mungumba = sardine.
5. Ntsondzi = small of the sharptooth fish family.
6. Ndzeza
7. Cimbumbu = a dark synodontis zambezensis fish.
8. Cingeni = yellowish leopard squeaker fish.
9. Musuta
10. Lipuli = sharptooth fish or African barbel fish.
11. Muiko = bottlenose fish.
12. Ndembe = bulldog fish.
13. Nkundu = red bellied bream fish.
14. Mutende = yellow bellied bream fish.
15. Cipulu = a small to medium sized bream fish species.
16. Mukunga = tiger fish.
17. Ntundua
18. Nguesi
19. Cilamba
20. Cizovolola = a large-mouthed bream fish species that is tasteless.
21. Niamukava
22. Ngali

Dairy food vocabulary

Dairy food include milk, and all the food made from milk.

1. Manteka = butter/coagulated milk.
2. Keju = cheese.
3. Mavele or mavisi = milk.

Cooking vocabulary

1. Ciko = cooking stick.
2. Ku hika = stir-cook or to cook a meal over a heat while stirring especially when stir-cooking the thick meal porridge.
3. Ku hika civundu = to cook thick meal porridge.
4. Ku teleka = to cook or to prepare food for eating.
5. Ku teleka vifo = to cook relish.
6. Ku kanga = to fry or to cook food in hot oil or fat.
7. Ku kanga mayaki = to fry eggs.
8. Oca = roast.
9. Tika = knead
10. Ku tika = to knead
11. Ciseya cove ca ku tikila = your bowl for kneading.
12. Pala = peel.
13. Ku pala = to peel.
14. Tuvula = strip off.

Other related words include:

1. Lia = eat.
2. Via-ku-lia = food.
3. Ku tonguenia = eat slowly and sparely.
4. Likumbu = mound of civundu.
5. Nkama = fist-size lump.
6. Tanta = dunk.
7. Mbuitika = dip.
8. Mpindi ya ntsitu = piece of meat.
9. Musuni = steak. A thick piece of high-quality meat.
10. Suma = bite.
11. Kunjuta = nibble.
12. Takinia = chew.
13. Mina = swallow.
14. Nua or kunua = drink or to drink.
15. Huvila = gulp or suck up.
16. Liasa or ku liasa = lick or to lick.
17. Zekula = spit.
18. Saniona = grate or tear to pieces.
19. Vusamu = without salt.
20. Ku samuka = to be tasteless.
21. Museza = leftovers of food, remnant of civundu from yesterday's lunch or supper.
22. Vunkatu = plain civundu.
23. Kulisuka =
24. Nkatu = to eat the thick meal porridge without gravy or soup or meat stew.
25. Muongua = salt.
26. Tuzi tua cindele = sugar.
27. Mukele = soda.
28. Cimbaluila = yeast.
29. Musati = sugarcane.
30. Cisati = stalk.
31. Vuci = honey.
32. Cisila = honeycomb.
33. Ku-lembuluka = sweetness.
34. Ku-tovala = to be tasty.
35. Ku-samuka = to be tasteless.
36. Ku-tsita = putrid.
37. Katende = stench.
38. Ku-nika = to smell.
39. Lizimba = odour.
40. Vueko = aroma or scent.
41. Kutsa cizava = to feel hungry.
42. Ku ivua ndzala = to be hungry.
43. Kutsa mpuila = to feel thirst.

Types of honey

1. Vuci vua mpuka = honey made by bees.
2. Vuci vua mase
3. Vuci vua mala
4. Vuci vua malianda
5. Vuci vua matambi = honey made by ground bees. This is nectar stored in ground by the ground bees.
6. Vuci vua tu-mbulumbulu = honey made by a tiny black bee.