kaboe mealie, noun phrase

/ˈkabu ˈmiːli/
Forms:
Also kabu mealie, koeboe mealie.
Origin:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZuluShow more Afrikaans kaboe adaptation of isiXhosa iqubu heap of grain sorghum, isiZulu uqubhu water in which mealie-meal has been steeped or boiled + mealie.
Usually in the plural : Boiled (formerly also roasted) whole maize kernels. Also attributive.
1902 D. Van Warmelo On Commando 9My uncle..treated us to kaboe-mealies (roasted maize), the first we had on commando, and we ate with great relish.
1903 J.D. Kestell Through Shot & Flame 14They gave me something to eat, just what they had ready — kaboe mealies (boiled maize).
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 239Kaboe mealies,..Mealies stripped from the cob and boiled without removing the skin.
1945 N. Devitt People & Places 143I have rarely met anyone who can give me the meaning of the words ‘kaboe mealies’. The term comes from the Xosa. ‘Iquba’ is a heap of corn before it is winnowed...The mealies are stripped from the cob and boiled in their husks.
a1952 H.C. Bosman in L. Abrahams Bekkersdal Marathon (1971) An iron pot that a fire had been burning underneath...All afternoon it had smelt to me like sheep’s inside and kaboe mealies.
1980 E. Prov. Herald 1 Apr. 13A customary Zulu openair kitchen where..a South African dietician demonstrated recipes like kabu mealie fries, pumpkin pips, putu porridge and mopani worms.
1989 V. Owen in Grocott’s Mail 20 Jan. 11In winter..we would gather around their wood fire in the open shed and beg ‘koeboe’ mealies from their pot, which was continually on the fire.
Usually in the plural :Boiled (formerly also roasted) whole maize kernels. Also attributive.
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Afrikaans
IsiXhosa
kabeljou, nounn.kafee, nounn.
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