Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Strange Food - Kenya

Githeri
Githeri is a basic maize (corn) and beans stew, traditional among the Kikuyu people of Kenya. Not only are these two eaten together, they are often intercropped (grown together) in the same fields. At its simplest, githeri is just maize and beans. Sometimes potatoes, greens (kale or similar), or meat are added.




Ugali
Ugali is a staple starch component of many African meals, especially in southern and east Africa. It is generally made from maize flour (or ground maize) and water, and varies in consistency from porridge to a dough-like substance. When ugali is made from another starch, it is usually given a specific regional name.The traditional method of eating ugali as a main course (and the most common in the hinterland) is to roll a lump into a ball with the right hand and then dip it into a sauce or stew of vegetables and/or meat. Making a depression with the thumb allows the ugali to be used to scoop, and to wrap around pieces of meat to pick them up in the same way that flat bread is used in other cultures. Firm ugali can also be eaten with a knife and fork.
Ugali is similar to foufou from West Africa, pap from South Africa, polenta from Italy and grits from the southern United States. It is often served as a part of traditional African meals.
Ugali is inexpensive to make and the flour can last for considerable time in average conditions. Also, the crops that produce the corn flour will grow reliably in poor seasons. For these reasons, ugali is an important part of the diet of millions of Africans.

Sukumawiki
The Swahili phrase Sukuma Wiki means push the week -- what's really being pushed is the family food budget. This is a great way to use up leftover meat (like Nyama Choma ) by combining it with greens and a few other ingredients to make a savory dish. In Africa this dish might be made with greens similar to kale or collards, but it can also be made with cassava leaves, sweet potato leaves, or pumpkin leaves. It is also tasty without any meat.
Usually served with Ugali.

Irio
Irio is basically a mixture of mashed potatoes, peas and corn (maize). It is a traditional dish among the Kikuyu people of Kenya. In fact the name of this dish is the Kikuyu word for food.
Usually served as a side dish to Nyama Choma or another meat dish.

Ngege
Ngege is Tilapia Niloticus.
The fish is best served with Ugali (no salt please), Sukuma wiki, cabbages or any other vegetable.

Kunde
Kunde is a popular Kenyan stew. It is made using black-eyed peas and tomatoes.
Best served with rice.

Matumbo
Iam forgeting the real name of this dish but actually it has many names so i will use the general name. Matumbo actually means the inners. The dish contains the stomach and intestines of either a goat or a cow. The intestines are cleaned for a long time to make sure no waste is left inside. Once done, the stuffing, containing some cereal paste and minced meat, is then stuffed and the ends tied. It looks something like a sausage. It is then roasted on heated coals. The first impression will make you feel disgusted but once you taste it, you cannot stop eating it.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Munak, the ugali looks like our chinese "bao".

9:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Opps... forgot to add that the chinese "bao", the one that is blank with nothing in there and usually serve with pork stew.

9:04 AM  
Blogger Munak said...

ooh i havnt try before, maybe i should ask my friends. Ill let u know when i try :p

1:37 PM  
Blogger Sampsa said...

Hey Kenya what's up?

Greetings to all your great hip hop artists, especially to Necessary Noice group and Nazizii... Just beautiful!

Actually I'm just listening to them. :)

To the topic, Strange kenyan food, hmmm.

I visited Ghana couple of years back with a consiquence of loosing 10 kg of weight. The main reason was probably fufu or ugali as it's called in Kenya.

If you're not used to ugali it's extremely difficult to eat, because you can't chew it and that's what I'm used to do with my food. It's like chewinggum, not my favourite dish.

What I do like about African food is those stews you mentioned. I wish I remembered the recipe for that heavenly peanut-sauce of northern Ghana.

Those spicy nigerian meat stews are to die for too. Believe me, I've got the recipies.

Is Kenyan food usually more sour than hot?

3:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think I has already eat Githeri! Here in Brazil we call it "Lentilha", I like it very much, it's delicious. Better than common beans ;)

3:08 AM  

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