There are certain staple foods in East Africa that cannot be amiss. Here are 8 of them.
1. UGALI
The ingredients are simple: water and maize flour (cornmeal). It is for this reason perhaps that Ugali is made across Africa in one form or another and merely goes by different names. In East Africa they call it ugali, in West Africa they call it fufu, in South Africa they call it phuthu, in Zambia nshima, in Malawi nsima and so on.
2. SUKUMA WIKI
The literal translation of Sukuma Wiki is ‘push the week’. Sukuma wiki are collard greens. The meal is eaten across East Africa but primarily in Kenya. It is usually paired with ugali and nyama choma.
3. NYAMA CHOMA
Kenya is synonymous with Nyama Choma. Nyama Choma means roasted meat. It is usually goat or lamb and usually roasted over an open fire. Along with sukuma wiki, nyama choma is paired with kachumbari.
4. KACHUMBARI
Kachumbari is primarily as a side dish. It’s made of chopped onions, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and perhaps a dash of salt and pepper.
5. CHAPATI
When East Africans throw a party, the first thing to go is usually the chapati. Chapati is a flat bread originally from India, and in East Africa it is often paired with stew, that is often poured over the rice dish, pilau.
6. MATOKE
Matoke, a food staple in Uganda and parts of Tanzania, is one of Uganda’s national dishes. It is a banana, often referred to as a cooking banana, usually harvested while green, then cooked and mashed into a meal. In Uganda, Matoke is usually paired with a peanut stew of vegetables and perhaps goat meat or beef. In Tanzania it is paired with smoked catfish and beans.
7. PILAU
Pilau is a spicy rice dish primarily eaten at the Kenyan coast, among the Swahili. It is also eaten in Tanzania and in Uganda. It contains spices such as cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and ginger. It can be eaten alone or with kachumbari, or stew.
8. MAANDAZI
Now to a desert and sometimes an appetizer. Maandazi is sweet bread made in small batches, also eaten in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Their sweetness varies depending on the cook. At an East African party they are next to go after chapati.
