Indulgences

1. Hwahwa

   Hwahwa (traditional grain beer)

   Usage

   The cloudy traditional beer brewed from sorghum (mapfunde) or maize (chibage). Drunk at weddings, gatherings and celebrations.

   Grammar Note

   A class 14 (u-/hu-) noun taking hu- agreement. Example: "Hwahwa uhwu hune doro rakawanda sei?"

2. Masese

   Masese (opaque beer, the sediment kind)

   Usage

   The dregs left after brewing, drunk as they are — cloudy, white and sour. A kind of doro, also called madzamba; the word is used in contrast to bottled, European-style beer.

   Grammar Note

   A class 6 ma- noun taking a- agreement, as in the example "Masese anofarirwa nevakawanda"

3. Ndari

   Ndari (home-brewed beer sold in the village)

   Usage

   Traditional beer (doro) brewed in the countryside (kumaruwa) for sale. Also spelt ndhari.

   Grammar Note

   A class 9 noun taking i- agreement, as in the example "Ndari inonaka zvikuru". The initial nd- is a single prenasalised segment, dividing n-da-ri

4. Maputi

   Maputi (popped maize, popcorn)

   Usage

   Dried maize kernels heated until they burst — sold by the bag on street corners and at bus stops. Salted versions are available too.

   Grammar Note

   A class 6 ma- noun taking a- agreement, as in the example "Ndinoda maputi ane munyu" (I want salted popcorn). Chibage chakakangwa, roasted maize, is a synonym

5. Fodya

   Fodya (tobacco)

   Usage

   The plant whose leaves are dried for smoking. Tobacco is grown in many fields in Zimbabwe as a major cash crop. The word covers both the cured leaf and tobacco in general

   Grammar Note

   A class 9 noun taking i- agreement, as in the example "Fodya inorimwa muminda yakawanda muZimbabwe"

6. Mudzanga

   Mudzanga (cigarette)

   Usage

   A single roll of tobacco in paper. It is fodya rolled long and thin in paper, with the example "Ari kusvuta mudzanga" (he is smoking a cigarette). The verb for smoking is kusvuta

   Grammar Note

   A class 3 mu- noun; the plural is midzanga. The ng is a single prenasalised segment, so the word divides mu-dza-nga

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