Chigumu

Name: Chigumu
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malawian
Ingredients: 2 cups fine maize flour; 1/2 cup wheat flour; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 ripe bananas, mashed; 2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt; About 1 cup milk or water; Banana leaves for lining (optional)

Chigumu/chee-GOO-moo/

Also known as: Malawian Maize Cake, Chigumu cha Chimanga

About this dish

A dense, lightly sweet maize-flour cake, traditionally baked in banana leaves among the embers.

📍 Find the best Chigumu near me

AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs

Ingredients

🌽2 cups fine maize flour

🌾1/2 cup wheat flour

🍬1/2 cup sugar

🍌2 ripe bananas, mashed

🧂2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt

🥛About 1 cup milk or water

🍃Banana leaves for lining (optional)

Method

Serves 4

Mix the maize flour, wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Stir in the mashed bananas and enough milk to make a thick batter.

Line a greased tin or heavy pot with banana leaves if you have them, and pour in the batter.

Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45–55 minutes until firm and golden, or cook covered in a pot over low coals with more coals on the lid.

Cool slightly and cut into slices.

✓ What Makes it Authentic

Chigumu is an old Malawian village bake made from maize flour, sometimes with ripe banana or pumpkin; it is now usually baked in a pot or oven.

User Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first!

Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.

🌍 Food Vlogs

Eating and cooking it at the source

🌍

No videos yet

What To Eat

The World's Food Guide