Peri-Peri Chicken and
How we beat bureaucracy at Sea
As we start winding down the year, its time for another light-hearted sailing story;
Yachties cruising to Madagascar will inevitably stop over in Mozambique to rest and provision before crossing the Mozambican channel and Agulhas current in order to reach Madagascar.
It is in this tropical paradise that cruisers may try grilled peri-peri chicken for the first time. The secret to this dish is a fiery home-made concoction - also known as Peli-Peli in Swahili - and is made from African Bird’s eye chilli, garlic, lemon, vinegar and a blend of spices that create a sauce that is not only intensely spicy but bursts with complex flavours that release a rush of endorphins when tasted.
Meat is typically marinated before hand, allowing the flavours to penetrate and create a mouthwatering symphony of sensations.
Each Barraca will have it own unique homemade recipe and mix.
(Barraca’s being small informal, modest makeshift stalls that are set up in markets or along roadsides in order to sell goods or food and tend to be noisy and vibrant and are the backbone of the informal sector.)
Hardwood used to make the coals imparts a smokey essence to the dish, while the marinade creates a charred, crispy skin on the outside which contrasts beautifully with tender succulent meat inside.
Food isn’t rushed in this country so while you wait and salivate from the rich aroma’s drifting over from the grill, you enjoy a few cold “Dois M’s” in the balmy tropical atmosphere and practise Portuguese with fellow patrons.
Once eating and feasting and customs formalities are eventually taken care of, its time for the ocean crossing. We had a rough few days on our final few days across to Madagascar and by the time we dropped anchor in Nosy Be all we wanted was a fresh shower, a clean change of clothes and a cold beer to rinse away the salt. We had to check in first though so we set off from our anchorage with a local taxi collective to Hellvillle to officially check into the country. When we eventually arrived at Customs, the official said - No, we have to bring the boat to Hellville for an inspection. This is more so that the Customs officials can do their “shopping” and confiscate odds and sods off your boat for personal use. My heart sank, but my salty old skipper never missed a beat and in passable French explained that that Monsieur, sadly, that is impossible as we had bad weather and broke our motor. The yacht now need extensive repairs before it can move. With a reluctant nod, the agent duly stamped us in and we were free to go and attend to personal luxuries and I had new admiration for our salty old skipper.
My friend Pete ran into a similar situation with his Customs agent while checking in further south of the country and his response was just as good:
Anticipating the usual cross border shenanigans, he bought some cheap home brewed liquor at a Barraca that they brand as whiskey, rum or gin and just add flavourings so at first taste, it does taste like the dogs bollocks but is cheap and nasty and kicks like a mule.
So when the agent started patting him up for a bribe Pete started talking up a very fine bottle of whiskey he had stowed onboard that he was saving for a very special occasion. He let on to the customs fellow that he would be willing to part with this special bottle but then the agent has to pull out all the stops, even going so far as giving them a guided tour of the village. The Customs agent was already salivating at the mention of alcohol and simply agreed to everything Pete requested from him and not the other way around as you might expect. It was a fine barter where both parties walked away feeling that they had done well from the trade.
Madagascar is a magical and curious place and perhaps I’ll touch on it in a future post if you’re interested.
If you enjoyed this snapshot of Mozambique you can recap on Ivo and :The unusual story of one of Africa's big game hunters
For a sailing drama in Mozambique you can re-cap here: One Hit. One Miss. And one too close for comfort