Trying the local East African Food
Trying local cuisine (East African Food) is a great way to better understand the area you’re visiting. The food reflects a region’s culture, history, and traditions, and by trying the dishes of a particular place, you can learn more about its people and way of life. We have listed a few of them here below in this post. As we are children and grow up to become adults we often say we do not like things without tasting what we say we do not like. I the writer and Best African Safari would like to challenge you and your children to never say no to something you have not tasted yet. Taste it and it might surprise you. Would you accept this challenge with us?
Matoke
Matoke plain (yellowish) with sauce
Matoke, locally also known as matooke in Tanzania and Kenya, amatooke in Buganda (Central Uganda), ekitookye in southwestern Uganda, ekitooke in western Uganda, kamatore in Lugisu (Eastern Uganda), ebitooke in northwestern Tanzania, igitoki in Rwanda, Burundi and by the cultivar name East African Highland banana, is a starchy triploid banana cultivar originating from the African Great Lakes. The fruit is harvested green, carefully peeled, and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. In Uganda and Rwanda, the fruit is steam-cooked, and the mashed meal is considered a national dish in both countries.
Matoke bananas are a staple food crop in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and other Great Lakes countries. They are also known as the Mutika/Lujugira subgroup.
The medium-sized green fruits, which are of a specific group of bananas, the East African Highland bananas, are known in the Bantu languages of Uganda and Western Kenya as matoke.
Cooking bananas have long been and still are a common staple crop around the Lake Victoria area of Kenya and Uganda, and in the West and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania.
Nyama Choma
Nyama Choma with roasted potatoes
The nyama choma is a speciality of grilled goat/beef or chicken meat. Roasted meat is very popular in Tanzania and Kenya, where it is considered the national dish. The expression nyama choma means “barbecue meat” in Kiswahili.
For authentic nyama choma, salt and pepper are added, sometimes the meat is marinated first in a mixture of onions, garlic and ground ginger, with some hot pepper and lemon juice.
It is available in both roadside inns and larger restaurants. It is traditionally eaten with the fingers.
The side dishes are varied, but the most classic are the salad kachumbari and ugali.
NB: The picture at beginning of this article is plain Nyama choma on the grill.
Ugali with Mboga
Ugali with sukumawiki and beef
Ugali is the East African version of corn meal, and it is consumed in every household. Many like having the ugali with local veggies which are collard greens mixed with spinach, some cannot
Ugali with sukumawiki – cabbage and beef
afford anything else. It is considered one of the stable foods of East Africa.
Growing up, almost everyone gets this dish. It comes in one way and there is nothing else but water and maize flour in it, sometimes some people add margarine to it, but otherwise, it Is flavourless. Therefore, many tourists are not fond of it at first and like to add salt, even locals add a little salt on the side, though it is mostly eaten with sides such as Sukumawiki with onions, and/or a side dish like beef stew.
Let’s challenge you to first taste it without salt, but with the greens, and possible meat and let us hear what you think about it. If it is not your thing, try to add a little salt on the side.
Mukimo
mukimo Nyama Choma Kenya
Mukimo (pronounced moo-KEE-mo) is a traditional Kenyan main dish. Mukimo is a delicious potato mash with a bunch of ingredients which can be customized to your liking. Kahurura Mukimo is made of mashed potatoes, soft maize and pumpkin leaves (Kahurura) or spinach. You can always substitute the leafy greens for green peas. Making Mukimo is super easy and you only need to follow a few steps.
Mukimo is a meal whose origin is Central Kenya (Agikuyu community) but it’s being served in hotels across the country.
A favourite in western Kenya. Nutritious and simple to make, Mukimo relies on ingredients that should be easy to find in an African village (as well as your local supermarket):
mukimo
potatoes, corn, peas, spinach, and onion. Corn, called maize in Kenya, is grown by 90% of the country’s farmers.
But today, once-plentiful food is hard to come by. East Africa, including Kenya, is in the middle of its worst drought in 40 years. The impact of the drought on crops and livestock has been disastrous — and at the same time, conflicts like the war in Ukraine have caused food prices to soar. People who once enjoyed plentiful tables are going hungry.
Coconut rice
coconut rice
Tanzanians cook many recipes using coconut milk, which makes this rice thick. Mix in peas and carrots and serve it with grilled meat or stir-fried vegetables for a filling meal.
A recipe for the United Republic of Tanzanian Coconut Rice and peas mixed with carrots [Wali Wa Junde Na Karoti]! Rice and peas with sliced carrots are cooked in coconut cream with turmeric powder.
coconut rice
Coconut Rice [Wali Wa Nazi] is widely consumed in Tanzania and other Eastern African countries. The United Republic of Tanzanian Coconut Rice and Peas alongside Carrots [Wali Wa Junde Na Karoti] is yellow coloured with turmeric flour and blended with peas and sliced carrots before being cooked in dissolved coconut milk.
This rice and peas combination goes well with curries and stews, but it can also be eaten alone as a light dish.
This meal is traditionally cooked with handmade coconut milk (in Swahili: maziwa ya Nazi) made from grated coconut. Before adding the ingredients to the hot water, shake the tin can or stir them thoroughly.
Other East African dishes
I have listed other East African dishes for you here and you owe yourself to taste them if you can. If you consume it from a fairly okay local restaurant by yourself, or the guide brings you to a place you can be fairly sure the food and drinks are okay to consume. You will also soon be able to find our review of different restaurants in East Africa, on which service you can expect, what kind of food and we will have divided the restaurant into categories from 1 to 5 * Stars. I my self sometimes would buy Mandazi or chapati with a water or a soda on a street vendor, that we grade 1 to 2 Stars, but again i make sure the place is clean and made under okay conditions.
- Wali na Maharage
Is a dish of cooked rice and beans, and quit tasty, as a fast and simple meal - Chapati
Chapati is a flat bread that can be eaten with chai (Tea), or with other meals like the Wali na Maharage. - Plantain
Plantain
A fried banana on the pan, absolutely delicious, and one of my favorites.
- Kachumbari
Kachumbari is a local way of making a salad, for example the onions are often washed in salt and water to take out a bitterness. - Pilau
Kachumbari Kenyan salad
Is an Indian inspired dish, almost all households make from time to time, it is also often served at different events.
- Biriyani
Biriyani is another Indian inspired dish, served with different kinds of meat in, usually either chicken or goat meat (Mbuzi) - Mtori
A filling Tanzanian stew/soup made from green bananas, potatoes and meat. It’s known for being pretty nutritious and is often given to pregnant women and new mothers to build up their strength! It is one of the things that makes a lot of the women gain a lot of weight, as according to many African beliefs that is what is supposed to be now you are a mother/woman. - Uji Power
It is basically a porridge made up of several different ingredients such as arrowroots, groundnuts (or peanut butter), milk, sweet potatoes, cassava, pumpkin seed powder, honey or sugar and milk. It is said to have great health benefits. I love it myself, but i think if i would take a lot of it, i would gain a lot f weight. - Mishkaki
Mshikaki
The meat kebabs on sticks (called mishkaki in Kenya/Tanzania) is delicious, and a re usually only made with meat, though some places they mix them with veggies! They can be any type of meat and are a popular snack street food or nightclub snack in East Africa.
- Masala Chips
Another pretty simple, yet tasty dish is masala chips which are especially popular in Kenya. - Rolex (Ugandan street food)
The Rolex, is a rolled eggs dish (not the watch) and is a delicious Ugandan street food of rolled chapati with various fillings such as egg (in omelette form), avocado, onions, cabbage, tomato and sometimes minced meat. - Samaki Wa Nazi
I am not a big sea food eater, but this dish is good, together with a few other sea food dishes. It is a coconut fish curry, at times called Zanzibar fish curry. It’s an extremely tasty, mild dish – usually king fish served with rice and vegetables. - Urojo
Also known as Zanzibar mix, Urojo is a soup made up of various different ingredients. All made slightly differently, but just as tasty. - Zanzibar Pizza
The Zanzibar pizza is a little weird, but popular food. It’s basically 2 small pancakes (one on top of the other), cooked in ghee and filled with various ingredients, such as eggs, cheese, mango, tomato, meat, onions, peppers, avocado, mango, mayonnaise, it can even have Nutella, and banana. The most famous place to get it is at Forodhani Gardens at the Stone Town harbor front. - Pili Pili
The Pili pili, is a “VERY” spicy African sauce made with chillis, peppers, lemon, garlic and oil – although you will find different combos wherever you go. whenever i take it it is just very little. - Chips Mayai
Chipsi Mayai
One of my favorites, but if you eat every day you will grow big. It is a very popular food in especially Tanzania and in some southern parts of Kenya and it is basically an omelet with French fries mixed in. It is available almost everywhere at street food stalls and local restaurants alike. It tastes absolutely delicious and I love it with a good kachumbari, but some take it with a lot of ketchup or chili sauce.
- Cassava Chips
Cassava chips make a nice snack and are generally a bit less greasy than potato chips. They usually come plain or with a little dusting of spice. You should though make sure they are good on, as they can give you a bad stomach pain if they are not from good cassava - Samosas
The small but amazing samosa, is a little triangular pastry snack, it usually comes with either beef, chicken, and/or vegetables. They’re sold in restaurants, shops and often by local people walking along the beach or road – it is a great snack when you are hungry on a long bus journey and you can buy them at the window in the bus. - Mahindi Choma
Is roasted maize/corn and is usually sold everywhere along the streets. - Kashata
A nice Swahili sweets, Kashata is a bit like a peanut brittle. you can also get sesame plates and other small sweets - Mandazi
You can call it an African version of a Doughnut, and are usually triangular, but they also comes in round shapes with a sugar coating. Often taken as a snack with Chai (tea). - Mango with Chilli Salt
One of my favorites are the Mango with chili, it is another great street food and it is simply a juicy mango, covered with spicy chili salt. - Coconut
is simply a coconut that has had the top cut of, so you can drink the water. thereafter you can eat the coconut meat inside. Very refreshing. - Sugarcane Juice
The Sugarcane juice (sometimes made with lime and ice) is a very popular drink, and you can buy many place, including on the streets. Very fresh and sweet.
