UGANDAN FOOD
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Do you love good food? Are you open to teasing your palate to something exotic from the ever green countries in East Africa, specifically Uganda- the Pearl of Africa? Have you dreamt of the mouth watering cuisine that the beautiful land people have to offer? Well, you are in luck because you do not have to keep dreaming no more. Allow me take you through the rich cultural foods grown, the process of how the dishes are cooked with the different mouth watering recipes and served to satisfaction.
Matooke
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This is the most popular cultural food served in the whole of Uganda and it is harvested green. It’s grown all over the country and very easy to manage on the farm. It takes 10-12 months from planting to harvest and one bunch of matooke fingers can weigh up to 15kg. It is believed that it originated from South America and sometimes called plantain.
When the matooke is ready for harvest, the stem is cut down to carefully bring down the fruit. It’s then taken into homes, restaurants and hotels for preparation.
It’s then peeled and soaked in water to remove the sap. After thoroughly washing it, one can have is as “Katogo” for breakfast (matooke fingers boiled, when ready, drain the water and put aside. Fry onions and lots of fresh tomatoes, add salt and spices, pour it into the boiled matooke and serve).
The most popular and appreciated way of preparing matooke is steaming it. After peeling and washing it, it’s carefully wrapped in banana leaves tied with banana fibres to keep the matooke wrapped and intact. The pan is then filled with water and put on a charcoal stove or firewood to allow it cook slowly for 2-4 hours and between that time it’s taken off for mashing using the same banana leaves that wrapped it and back into the pan and put back on fire to give it that yellow/ golden look and melting feeling in the mouth.
This food is very popular among the Baganda, a tribe that hails from Central Uganda. All homes in central will have this meal at least four times a week. The Baganda take pride in preparing mouth-watering matooke.
There is a popular joke in the region that “if you haven’t eaten matooke, then you haven’t eaten food”.
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Ingredients:
Water
Matooke Fingers
Banana leaves and fibre
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chef`s corner
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My passion for cooking started way back when I was a kid, I used to bake "mud" using real mud and some water and ten sun dry it and kind used to force my parents to eat it. I was always playing house and my favorite part was being in the kitchen pretending to cook something.
As I got older the passion grew what my parents thought was a phase actually became a part of me. After my high school I knew what I wanted to do, I applied for a hotel management course in which I got a diploma and proceeded to a catering school where I concentrated in food production.
After three months at the school, I went for my first internship at hotel Africana and that is where I got my first job. I was always ahead of my game trying out something new to do things my way creating my own style and in a big hotel, this is being rebellious but this got me places.
I am now a private chef who is on the journey to making a house hold name my passion is still strong and I must say I have the best job in the world.
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Sheena Naava.
Malewa
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This is a delicacy for a tribe in the eastern part of Uganda called the Bagisu. It is the most popular sauce in this part of the country and always served in groundnut paste.
This sauce is actually young bamboo shoots that are harvested and lightly smoked over low heat so as not to burn but let all the water dry out.
It’s primarily grown in the beautiful, green, mountainous area in the Eastern part of Uganda called Mbale. It’s popularly known for the now dormant mountain called Mountain Elgon. It’s home to the Bagisu and neighbour to Kenya in the west. The mountain gives one a feeling of being in the forest with water running down to the slopes of the mountain which makes growing of bamboo affordable hence the stable source for the region.
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Ingredients;
Young bamboo shoots
Groundnut paste
Salt
Spices
Lumonde
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This is a sweet variety of potatoes commonly called Lumonde in the Buganda region or sweet potatoes. This potato is grown in the ground as roots and the shoots as leaves which can be eaten as greens (a vegetable sauce). It’s usually served alongside the main food dishes such as matooke and rice. The area in Uganda where it’s mostly grown is Soroti and it is believed that sweet potatoes from this region are sweeter and crunchy than the rest. Lumonde can be prepared in many ways such as, baked with its skin after being thoroughly washed, steamed in banana leaves to leave it with the aroma from the leaves or deep fried. When deep fried, it can be consumed as snack because of the crisp nature after deep frying. Before deep frying it, peel off the skin, wash it clean, cut the potato into crisp like size, and get a paper towel to remove any water droplets and fry. When it turns golden brown, remove it from oil and serve. Very delicious snacks to munch on as you go about with your day.
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Ingredients;
Sweet Potato
Banana leaves
Water
Vegetable oil
Rolex
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Not to be confused with the high end watch, Rolex in Uganda is a mouth watering delicacy of chapatti and omelette. The blend of these two is to say the least hunger jerking which makes one want to have one right away no matter the time of day.
Allow me give you a brief history on the name Rolex. The road side vendors thought of a new way of presenting their traditional chapattis with a twist. Because omelette was and is quite popular with people on the go, they decided to get the omelette and roll it in chapatti. It became so popular that they had to find a name for it. When a customer would order for omelette and chapatti, they were asked whether they wanted it separate or “eggs rolled in chapatti” – Rolled Eggs hence the name “Rolex”- this was really mother tongue influence.
Because of the simplicity in preparing this dish and affordability, it struck like a wild fire and rolled out to the whole country. This can be found at all road side stalls around the country ( and if one doesn’t sell rolex then what are you selling, so they say). Due to its popularity, it was introduced in all leading hotels and restaurants, on the go carts. The high end hotels and restaurants added a twist to the rolex. They now offer the traditional rolex with other additions such as minced beef, stir fry beef or chicken, vegetables and this turns out to be a major meal. One can’t have that rolex with all the additions and want to have another meal. This can easily fill one up
It is believed that road side chapatti making was started in the Busoga region in Uganda. It is probably due to the influence of the Asian community in that region. Asians are known to love chapatti and Nan as part of their daily meals. So with this influence, the Basoga took it up and as they say, the rest is history.
On August 22nd 2016, the then Minister of Tourism, the late Maria Mutagamba launched the Rolex as a fast food tourist attraction in Uganda, it was dubbed, The Rolex Festival -
Oluwombo
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Oluwombo is a special dish in Buganda region. Its preparation is similar to the way matooke is prepared but in this case, its different sauces steamed in smoked young banana leaves. It’s a dish served during special occasions or even for that long lost relative who hasn’t visited in a long while. It has naturally delicious taste because the sauce which is cooked in smoked banana leaves. Oluwombo is popularly prepared as beef, mutton and chicken or ground nut paste.
The great thing about this way of cooking this meal is that it keeps the aroma of smoked banana leaves and fresh sauce and gives the food a mouth watering experience. According to food writer, Ruhangariyo, in the Ugandan newspaper, New Vision, (2016), this dish was preserved for the kings and princes of the pre-colonial Uganda which is now enjoyed by the rest of Uganda. Today this meal is mostly cooked and served at big occasions like weddings, introduction ceremonies, festive seasons like Easter, Christmas, Eid and many more others. It is also cooked as a meal in big restaurants and hotels in Uganda. And it is well eaten with matooke which is also a very popular food eaten in Uganda.
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Ingredients;
Smoked young banana leaves
Beef
Mutton
Chicken
Groundnut Paste
Salt to taste
Spices
Chapatti
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When it comes to chapatti, one wouldn’t call it a real meal, but it is normally taken with a cup of tea, cold bottle of soda, usually taken on the go or it is served together with other dishes. It is normally eaten with beans which are called Kikomando (the mixture of chapatti and beans. The beans are first boiled and when ready are fried with tomatoes, onions and some spices to give it a good salty taste. This is a very popular snack in Uganda where in most cases can be found at a number of stalls within the city with many road side vendors preparing chapatti. Chapatti is frequently eaten by people walking through town and hungry. One just has to stop by a stall and buy because it is quick to make and affordable. As it is with many street dishes, this one is less messy and can be eaten while on the go. Not to be mistaken, chapatti is not only found on the streets, it can be found in confectionery shops, restaurants, hotels and in most homes if not all. Very popular amongst young children who wouldn’t be bothered with matooke and lumonde. Some stalls also have benches one can sit on and enjoy your chapatti, kikomamdo or “rolex”, the choice is entirely yours.
Ingredients;
Home Baking flour
Warm water
Onions
Tomatoes
Carrots
Vegetable oil
Beans
Salt