Food

Food, food, food! I struggle so much with food in this country! I am not a fan of the local fare and I can barely put two things together to make a decent meal myself. I never thought I was bad at cooking until I came here and I am a mess. There is definitely less available to work with but I still have access to plenty of foods that I could make a meal from. I think my main problem with cooking is that all the things I usually made for myself in college are things that aren't available here. I lived off sandwiches and canned soup in college. Lunch meat is available but its not the same and it is expensive. There is no canned soup to be seen. I could make soup and I made a lentil soup once but I'd rather just buy a can. I have managed to put together some decent tasting dinners, but I still find it hard to motivate myself to cook. Hopefully after more time here I will learn some tricks of cooking in foreign countries. For now I'd like to share about Ugandan food. I do some freelance writing for a website about living in Kampala - http://www.livinginkampala.com/
and this is the article I just finished about local food.

Depending on what situation you are in when eating local food you will be served different types of foods. This article will give you a general review of the majority of the foods you are likely to encounter during your various dining experiences. You will never be at a restaurant or house where all the foods mentioned are available. Furthermore, I will only cover food you will encounter in the Kampala area. During you travels around Uganda you might see or eat food that is not mentioned here. The different regions of Uganda have different specialties.

The local food in Kampala is generally good but can leave the tastes buds wanting. The main staples of meals are starches. The main starches include rice, matooke, posho, and potatoes and will be referred to as the “food” portion of the meal.

The rice in Uganda is standard white rice. Brown rice is not served in Ugandan cooking and is even hard to find at specialty food stores. Matooke is boiled and mashed green bananas. Posho is the local name for a food found all over the African continent and around the world. Posho (or ugali in some parts) is water and maize flour boiled and mashed together until it is a dough like consistency. Potatoes here are your standard potatoes but are usually referred to as Irish.

Food will always be accompanied by one or maybe even two sauces. Sauces are made of beans, peas, groundnuts, and/or meat. The meat sauce is a thin salty broth like sauce made with either goat or beef combined with a few vegetables. The bean and pea sauces are made by boiling dried beans or peas and adding in a few vegetables and a lot of salt. Of all the sauces peas are my favorites, beans are a close second, I’d rather not eat the groundnut sauce, and I do not eat the meat sauce. Vegetables are referred to as spices. The only other spice used in most Ugandan cooking is salt and occasionally a tiny bit of red curry powder. From my experiences I’ve learned that many Ugandans think the saltier the food the better it is. I have no problem with salty foods but I do enjoy more of a variety of spices in my food that I cannot find in traditional Ugandan cooking.

You will almost always be served a side dish with your main starch and sauce. Potential side dishes include:

·        * Greens which can be either kale or some other leafy green like amaranth, nakati, or borr. Greens are boiled and served plain.

·         * Cabbage which is served boiled and salted

·         * Steamed vegetables like carrots, eggplant, and tomatoes

·         * Fresh avocado

·         * Pumpkin

·         * Sweet potatoes

·         * Baked/fried cassava

·         * Baked/fried yam

Dessert

Dessert is not to be expected at most dining occasions in Uganda. I have only ever been served dessert at special events. The most common dessert is fruit like bananas, pineapple, mango, jack fruit, papaya, and passion fruit. At special events like conferences, weddings, and graduation parties the host will most likely provide cake. Most of the cake I’ve had at events in Uganda is relatively dry and not as sweet as I am used to. Many cakes are made with raisins which I’ve never really understood. Other types of desserts like cookies, different types of cakes, ice cream, brownies, etc can be found at stores and restaurants around the city but rarely in a Ugandan home or restaurant.

Street Food/Snacks

Street food is an entirely different category of food in Uganda. You will almost never be served food you can get on the street in a home or restaurant. Street food is also a risky choice. I have eaten street food and not gotten sick, but I know plenty of people who have eaten street food and gotten very sick. That being said…proceed at your own risk. Street food is also similar to the western version of snack food. Food you might see on the streets of Kampala includes:

·     *  Chapatti – similar to a tortilla chapatti is made with flour, water, salt, and lightly fried in oil

          *  Kikimando – beans and chapatti

·      *  Rolex – chapatti with fried egg wrapped up like a burrito

·      * Meat skewers – various meats (chicken, beef, liver) on a stick, cooked on a charcoal grill

·      * Kabalagala - fried banana pancakes

·      * Mandazi - Sweet dough balls similar to doughnuts but not as sweet and a bit chewier

·      * Samosas – cowpeas or beef wrapped in dough and fried

·      *   Groundnuts (gnuts) – roasted and salted peanuts

Rolex is probably my favorite street food. They are filling and good. Sometimes they are too greasy but this is one food I find myself craving in Kampala. Kabalagala are also good but only when they are fresh. Once they’ve been out of the fryer for more than twenty minutes they become chewy and lose their good taste. I have yet to try a meat stick but word is they can be really good. Be careful though because the liver often looks the same as chicken so be sure to clarify what type of meat you’re getting.

Although not my favorite cuisine Ugandan food is good and absolutely worth a try if you are just traveling through.