"Wanakula mizizi"

Translation: They are eating roots

[LichenTPD]

Can this also mean root vegetables such as carrots or radishes?

[bwana-b]

No. carrot = karoti

[DaivikThan]

Would this include mogo? I forget the English but our language has borrowed from swahili so we call it mogo.

[LauraModesta]

Cassava?

[Adetokunbo_Oga]

Muhogo

[JSDHFOGOEVAIDBDO]

Not as in the category of vegetables including carrots and radishes

[leakielsholm]

I don't think so as your examples are not very common vegetables in East Africa

[KenMur]

Are you sure? I had multiple meals with carrots in markets of several Tanzanian towns.

[Drasher]

I'd be willing to bet that swahili, like english, doesn't have a separate word for root vegetables, but I also doubt there'd be any situation where you'd call something you're eating a root instead of specifically what it is. Maybe in the "Did you know potatoes are a root?" sense, or in the case that a dish is primarily root veggies.

[Kit4242]

I'd guess "they" could point at animals too. Then it's less off to eat roots :)

[RobertEddy]

Sounds like Owen and his chums from the Welsh course chowing down on parsnips. They're always eating parsnips in the Welsh course!

[Ms.Mzee]

We don't eat roots in East Africa though...???

[piguy3]

Cassava? Potatoes?

[chrisleggatt]

What's wrong with munching on a couple of tree roots every now and then?

[JSDHFOGOEVAIDBDO]

Well it does have a chance of an overdose but you do get a nice psychodelic effect if you pace yourself

[ColtynSensing]

I got flagged incorrect for "They are eating the roots". Any explanations?

[FubbiKenan]

Mihogo ni mzizi. = "Cassava is a root." (in Swahili)

Chinangwa ndi muzu. = "Cassava is a root." (in Chichewa)

Interestingly, the word "roots" as "mizu" (in Chichewa) which is similar to the one in the question when it comes to the insertion of the 'i' after the 'm'.