[2] Its etymology is uncertain, and may be from the Portuguese milho, or the Afrikaans mielie, from obsolete Dutch milie ("millet, maize").

It is a food that was originally eaten by the Voortrekkers during The Great Trek,[citation needed] but has become the staple diet of most Southern African countries.

It is a staple food in South Africa,[3] Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and many other parts of Southern Africa, traditionally made into uphuthu, unga (nshima), sour-milk porridge, pap, munkoyo, and also umqombothi and chibwantu (types of beer).

The raw ingredient of mielie meal is added to boiling water, the ratio of which produces either porridge[3] or the firmer pap/nshima/sadza.

It is similar to Italian polenta except that, like grits in the Southern United States, it is usually made of a white rather than a yellow maize variety.