KENYAN FOOD CULTURES

Transcription

1 KENYAN FOOD CULTURES 1. MEAT Meat is one of the favorite dishes to most Kenyan people. It is a product of cattle (beef), sheep (mutton), goats (chevon), pigs (pork/bacon), fish, poultry, camel etc. preparation includes roasting, frying, boiling and cooking. The most preferred is the roasted meat. Spices to use are onions, celery, pepper, tomatoes, coriander, carrots, capsicum etc. 2. Roasted Meat /nyama choma (swahili) a. Any Kenyan food list is not worth it without a mention of nyama choma, also known as roasted meat. Goat and beef are the 2 most common forms of nyama choma, but chicken (kuku choma) and fish (samaki choma) are also valid choices. This is the most preferred category of meat to most Kenyans. Meat is cleaned and incised in to pieces that will allow penetration of heat when placed just above/near redhot charcoal. It can be served alongside ugali (corn meal), cooked rise, cooked potatoes/bananas etc. some also take it alongside some soft drinks like coke cola and beverages. Applicable to type of meat known to have a good taste when roasted and with limited amounts of fat. Goat meat is the best candidate here. Doesn t contain soup b. Boiled meat As the name suggests, this is prepared by boiling in water till the meat is soft enough for consumption. This is applicable to meat obtained from animals known to have tough muscles. Can be served with ugali (corn meal), rise, cooked potatoes/bananas etc.

2 some also take alongside some soft drinks like coke cola and beverages. May or may not contain soup. c. Fried meat Applicable to meat types that are tender and soft. The fat content of such meat should be low-medium Here is a picture of the fried fish 3. UGALI(corn-meal) This is the commonest meal in Kenya. Intact maize is the staple food material in Kenya and this meal is consumed by about 80% of the total population. Corn grains are milled into corn flour and is made from cornmeal that is added to boiling water and heated until

3 it turns into a dense block of cornmeal paste that can be served together with any form of edible meat, scrambled eggs, vegetables or even drinks. 4. CORN-BEANS MIX Commonly called githeri in the local language. Corn. and bean grains are mixed and boiled to softening. The mix is then fried and stewed. Meat can also be added. It is commonly served with boiled potatoes, greens and fruits like avocado. Some accompany it with drinks like tea or even eat it with porridge. It is very bulky with high amounts of energy.

4 5. POTATOES This food commodity is very common in most Kenyan communities. The category combines both the Irish and the sweet potatoes. It is normally peeled (Sometimes chopped) and then boiled. Can be spiced with coriander, celery, tomatoes, onions, etc. it can also be roasted and be served with meat/meat stew, greens, porridge, tea and other drinks. 6. PILAU Pilau is a combination of rice cooked with flavor. Bursting spices like cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. The fragrant rice is fantastic to eat with a form of meat stew and a few slices of fresh tomato and onions.

5 7. Irio (Mashed Peas and Potato Mix) Irio is one of the most famous dishes in Kenya, a food that originated as a Kikuyu (one of the Kenya tribes) staple and spread throughout the country. Green peas and potatoes are boiled and then mashed up before whole kernels of maize (corn) are added to give the mash some extra starch and texture. This hearty and heavy Kenyan food is famous to eat with roasted nyama choma meat (nyama na irio) or just some Kenyan style stew 8. Greens / Sukuma Wiki (Collard Kale)

6 One of the most popular vegetable Kenyan dishes is sukuma wiki (known as collard greens or a form of kale in English). The nutritious green leafy vegetable is often cooked in oil with a few diced tomatoes, onions, and flavored with a sprinkle of mchuzi mix (Kenyan food secret flavoring salt MSG) or stock cube flavoring. 9. Kenyan Stew Kenyan stew can include a number of different meats: beef stew, goat stew, chicken stew or any other animal stew. Kenyan stew dishes might also include a few other base vegetable ingredients such as carrots, peppers, peas, or potatoes. The sauce is usually formed from a light tomato base and accented with onion, salt and pepper, and that essential mchuzi (soup) mix!

7 10. Chapati (Flatbread) Chapatis in Kenya can trace their origin from the influence of the Indian population. Kenyan style chapatis are made with a flour dough that is wound into a coil before being rolled into a flat round circle. The dough is then fried on a skillet accompanied by plenty of oil so it becomes crispy on the edges but remains moist and doughy on the interior. Chapatis can be considered more of a special form of Kenyan food, a treat to eat. Chapatis go well with fried cabbage, beans, or even just rolled up with a cup of tea! 11. Kachumbari (Tomatoes and Onions) The simple formula of diced tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, cilantro, and sometimes avocado, is a natural power combination of vegetables that cultures all the way from

8 Mexico to Kenya have discovered. Kenyans enjoy kachumbari as a garnish, a side salad that accompanies things like nyama choma (roasted meat) or beans. 12. Kenyan Bajias There are multiple forms of what is commonly known as bajias. The Kenyan variety (sort of borrowed from India) is normally what can be described as glorious spruced-up plate of awesome french fries (chips). Potatoes are sliced up and battered with seasoning, deep fried, and served with a Kenyan tomato salsa that is worth boasting about.

9 13. Masala Chips (French Fries Masala) The dish starts with a greasy plate of freshly deep fried french fries (chips). Tomato sauce, chili sauce, herbs, cilantro, and whatever else the chef decides are all added to the fries, coating them in a luscious sauce that will have you licking your fingers and the plate! 14. Mandazi (Kenyan Doughnut)

10 They can be smelled from a kilometer down the street as that lovely familiar scent of a blob of deep frying dough. The smell is enough to entice anyone to make a mandatory mandazi stop. Mandazi s make a great snack or a light breakfast with a cup of sweet chai (tea) 15. Mutura /Italian Sausage Mutura is the real Kenyan sausage, a protein rich meaty snack that could be the envy of every beer drinker. Goat intestine wrappers are stuffed full of the alluring combination of ground meat parts and goat blood. The sausage is boiled until it is almost cooked through and then thrown on the grill to dehydrate the meat and give it that sensational smoky taste. If you are searching for that truly authentic Kenyan food street meat experience, mutura will go above and beyond your expectation! Can be eaten plain or accompanied by corn meal, cooked rice etc. 16. Grilled Maize/ mahindi choma (Swahili) One of the most popular on-the-go snacks in Kenya is a cob of roasted maize. The corn is picked when it has become mature but still soft-grained, so it s a dry starch that is perfect for roasting over hot embers. As the maize roasts, some kernels pop like popcorn while others blacken to a crunchy crisp. Some street stall vendors will supply a chili lime salt garnish for the grilled maize.

11 17. Samosas Another Indian snack turned Kenyan food are samosas small triangular pockets of spiced meat or vegetables put in a pastry wrapper and deep fried to golden brown. Squeeze a sprinkle of lime juice on a samosa for ultimate enjoyment.

12 These golden snacks are available everywhere from sit down restaurants to Nairobi street food pushcarts. 18. Chai (Kenyan style tea) Kenyan coffee is one of the most famous varieties on earth, yet it is tea that is the popular hot drink of choice for many locals. Kenyan tea is brewed dark, mixed with plenty of whole fat milk, and sweetened up with a few heaping tablespoons of sugar. 19. Arrow-roots (Nduma) This is an energy-rich food commodity. Personally, roasted arrowroot meal, accompanied with a cup of tea will be a perfect breakfast/dinner or even lunch/supper. Across the country, you will find the crop commonest in areas receiving large amounts of rainfall where the natural landscape is relatively flat to allow for marshy conditions that turn out to be the favorable growing conditions. However, due an increasing demand for this valuable product, people are making attempts to artificially provide such conditions. Arrow roots are consumed in different forms based on the choice and preferences: boiled, fried and boiled or roasted. Whichever the form, arrow roots are harvested/bought, cleaned and then chopped into desired pieces. However, arrow roots meant for roasting are normally not reduced into very smaller pieces.

13 a. Roasted Figure: roasted arrow roots b. Fried Here arrow roots are first boiled to softening before being deep fried in to wheat or any other type of flour that enriches its flavor. Figure: fried arrow roots c. Boiled arrow roots As the name is suggestive, the tubers are normally boiled in water to softening after which they are served with any meat and vegetable stew. Some also prefer a using a cup of black/white tea. This is the commonest form in which these tubers are utilized by humans in the country in the country.

14 Figure: boild arrow roots 20. CASSAVA (MHOGO) Cassava, as a tuber, is another important component of the people s diet in the country. Its recent rise in the level of utilization has been attributed to the campaigns aimed at developing and promoting draught resistant crops by the government and other Stakeholders. Sorghum and cassava have turned out to be the best candidate. Just like in arrow roots and yams, cassava can be boiled, roasted or fried. Additionally, it can be consumed raw or even milled into flour/powder that can be used to make cassava meal (ugali wa bada/mhogo). For most communities along the Kenyan coast, they mash cooked cassava leaves to make one of the best stews ever known in the area. Can also be served with meat/vegetable stew or tea based on consumer taste and preference. It is important to note at this point that not all cassava varieties are edible. There are some that contain high levels of toxins and will automatically cause death once consumed. It is therefore important to be cautious when using any one to make a meal.

15 Figure: roasted cassava 21. SWEET POTATOES Figure: boiled potatoes This forms another crucial foodstuff to many in the country. Produced in larger amounts in areas receiving reliable rainfall and the consumption trend is on an increase. Different varieties have difference level of utilization by man and there are some that produced purposefully as animal fodder crop. The crop can be served with tea, juice and even meat/vegetable stew. There is this common habit of mashing the cooked potatoes with beans. The product is a potato-

16 beans mix which is a delicacy to many. Interestingly to mention is that potatoes can be spiced just like any other food (garlic, onions, tomatoes, coriander, celery etc.) Cooked potatoes can still be mashed plain to from a paste that is eaten just like corn mean. Figure: mashed potatoes 22. BANANAS Figure: boiled bananas (matoke) Most Kenyans very much like banana and related foodstuffs. This is one of the crops that are found in many utilization forms suitable to the consumer (ripe, boiled and roasted). In East Africa region, bananas are largely produced in most parts of Uganda. This kind of farming has really spread and is practiced in relatively larger portion of Kenya and neighboring country, Tanzania. The commonest form of banana this is a delicacy to most people in the region is what is locally termed as Matoke (Ugandan

17 local). This is made up of cooked bananas that are mashed to form banana meal that can be served with any type of stew. For the roasted bananas, bananas are peeled and sliced lengthwise and be roasted. Some don t peel the banana and the peels are used to detect when they are ready for consumption (when they start turning black). Note that roasting can be done in the open fire, oven or using foils. Roasted bananas are commonly served with drinks. Bananas can also be fried and be served with drinks or stew. What s your favorite Kenyan dish? what about your country?