I’m slowly learning the unspoken rules about travel blogs….so here’s a post about food.
Matooke
Everyone in Uganda eats this since it’s considerably cheaper than rice. The dish consists of plantains (small, green, banana like fruits that grow in large bunches) that are mashed up and cooked. I’m not sure how they are cooked exactly, but the result is a sort of paste that can accompany pretty much anything else or can be eaten by itself.
Posho with Beans
This is the lunch that is given to the kids pretty much everyday at the Ashinaga Rainbow House. Posho is a corn base, ground up and cooked like matooke. It looks a lot like mashed potatoes, but doesn’t have much of a taste. At least it is filling and a good foundation for the beans that provide protein. Beans are a good and cheap source of nutrition here.
Rollex (not the watch)
Chipati is a type of bread that is comparable to a thick tortilla and was imported to Uganda from India (lots of imports from India and China here). In Uganda, a rollex is a combination of chipati (roll) and a layer of egg (eggs→ex). Street vendors have stands all over the main road and in some side streets that serve rollex, and it is definitely the lunch of choice for me, aside from the student lunch. Usually the rollex will serve as a wrap for chopped cabbage and tomatoes, but we have to take that out, as vegetables from the street aren’t always safe for mzungus to eat. But even without the veggies, the chipati and eggs (which have really delicious onions and other things cooked into them) is a relatively nutritious and EXTREMELY filling meal. By far my favorite.
G-nuts
They taste kind of like un-popped popcorn kernels. But saltier. Very tasty snack.
Luwombo
A meat, usually fish, wrapped in banana leaves. Pretty special, so it’s rare for it to be available, but it’s very good. We keep trying to order it for dinner at the hotel, but they’re always out because it is so popular for lunch!
Nile Special
Definitely the beer of choice after a long day of work. Or when you’re floating down the Nile :P. I’m not much of a beer person, but when the drink is frigidly cold to relieve the heat of the day, a few sips certainly can be refreshing.
Massive Avocados
Oh my God they are so large. They are larger than a mango. The guacamole, particularly in Kampala, is obviously sent from heaven. Not kidding.
The Fruit Juices
Passion fruit, mango, pineapple, the list goes on. They are very fresh and have to be stirred regularly, but they’re delicious.
African Coffee
First off, it’s super strong. American coffee isn’t always effective for waking me up, but this coffee or even a latte will bring me out of heat exhaustion in addition to rough sleep. I look forward to coffee with boiled milk and sugar every morning ☺.
– Malinda