By Simon Ngena

AT an outdoor restaurant in Harare, a freerange or roadrunner chicken is served with sadza rezviyo, mhunga or rice mixed with peanut butter. Roadrunner chickens were primarily popular in rural areas of Zimbabwe, but as residents of urban areas have become more health conscious – turning to vegetables mixed with peanut butter as opposed to cooking oil, for example – the tough roadrunner is becoming the poultry meat of choice.

People believe that the chicken is healthier than the usual broiler chicken, a breed of chicken raised strictly for meat production in a confined pen, living off stockfeed. “These days people are concerned about their health; a roadrunner is preferred because it is natural and healthy,” says Philemon Zhakata, who runs an eatery called Chicken World, which specialises in roadrunner dishes. Zhakata says he prefers roadrunners from rural areas because they scavenge for the bulk of their food. The chickens that are fed on stockfeed tend to have softer meat and are not as tasty, he says.

The more the chicken works for its food, the tougher its meat becomes – and Zhakata’s customers prefer the tough meat. In order to keep the roadrunner chicken healthy while maintaining its natural taste, farmers add a variety of ingredients to the water consumed by the chickens. Aloe vera, charcoal and fi re ash are believed to prevent diseases, such as coccidiosis.

Cow and elephant dung is also added to prevent Newcastle disease and bird flu. Zimbabweans should be particular about what they eat because the continued consumption of fast food can lead to chronic diseases and a shorter lifespan, he says. Kudakwashe Mutsvairi, a roadrunner chicken farmer, explains that a commercial broiler chicken takes at least six weeks to mature, the ultimate goal being to help it reach maturity as fast as possible, as opposed to a roadrunner chicken, which requires a minimum of six months to mature.

“We focused on roadrunners because of its nutritious benefits. They are easier to keep and they fi nd their own food,” he says Adds Beauty Jiji, the secretary-general for the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association, an organisation with a vision of making free-range chicken the chicken of choice, says: “We started this association with the objective of addressing issues to do with household food security and nutrition.

I also believe that people are becoming more health conscious by resorting to traditional dishes. “Roadrunner chickens culturally were only for visitors or for special events such as lobola negotiations, child naming or Christmas celebrations and funerals. We want to demystify this culture.”