Many people, such as The Massai, eat simple foods, relying on the livestock they raise for food. Other tribes, such as the Kikuyu and Gikuyu, grow corn, beans, potatoes, and greens and mash all of these vegetables together to make irio. They roll irio into balls and dip them into meat or vegetable stews. Those in Western Kenya along Lake Victoria prepare mainly fish stews, vegetable dishes, and rice.
Well then, let’s continue. Kenya does not have a specific national cuisine per se, but there are two national dishes-ugali and nyama choma. As I mentioned earlier, ugali is a porridge made of maize. Many Kenyans eat this on a daily basis and it does take quite a bit of practice to boil the porridge without burning it. Ugali is most often eaten with some sort of meat, stew, or sukama wiki, which translates to “stretch the week.” This basically means that it is used to stretch the meals to last for the week. Sukama wiki is a combination of chopped spinach or kale that is fried with onions, tomatoes, maybe a green pepper, and any leftover meat, if available and often seasoned with salt and some pepper. Before simply delving into this delicacy, however, one must learn the proper way to eat ugali. The traditional way is to pinch off a piece of dough with the right hand, shape it into a scoop by pressing an indentation into the dough with your thumb, and scooping the sauce or stew.
The other national dish, nyama choma, is roasted or grilled meat, usually goat. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Grilling meat in Kenya is different than grilling it in the U.S. In Kenya, basting, as well as herbs and seasoning are typically not used. It is usually grilled plain and served with mashed vegetables. If ordered in a restaurant, you would get to choose your nyama choma from a selection of meat brought by the kilogram, which would then be grilled plain and brought to the table sliced into bite-sized pieces. Christmas dinner in Kenya typically consists of nyama choma…or sometimes fish. While beef can be used to make this dish, goat is far more common as it is considered a greater delicacy.
Now that you know a bit about these delicacies, it’d only be right to teach you about the mealtime customs. After all, I wouldn’t want you to offend anyone and get beheaded. Just kidding, that won’t happen. I was just checking to see if you were actually reading 🙂
Should you get the pleasure of dining in a traditional Kenyan home, you probably won’t find silverware. Perhaps you may should you be eating a European dish, but more often than not, your right hand and a little bit of ugali will take you a long way. When eating the Kenyan way, ugali is held in the right hand and used as a utensil to scoop up food. Ugali is typically served in a large dish where everyone can reach. The right hand is used to pass and accept items. Use of the left hand is considered improper. In Kenya, before every meal, the hostess, usually the wife of the patriarch, goes to each person with a pitcher of water, a plastic bowl, bar of soup, and a towel so everyone can wash their hands before they eat. In Kenya, everyone washes their hands before they eat and it is considered rude not to wash your hands, even in a restaurant where there is a sink and a bar of soap and towel for you to use. After everyone washes their hands, a blessing is said and then eating begins. Other mealtime customs vary from region to region and tribe to tribe in Kenya. Some warriors will not eat in front of women, men are often served first, and children often eat separately from adults. After dinner is finished, beverages are usually brought out. These most often include tea with milk and sugar, coffee, or water. When this is all finished, the hostess usually brings the bowl around once more so everyone can wash their hands again. Desert is typically not served in Kenya and if it is, it’s usually just some fruit. It’s also important to note that a lot of Kenyan families only eat one meal a day, typically being dinner served around 7 or 8.
Or read your amazing Scholastic Children’s Dictionary because well, it’s amazing!
