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Taste

Food in Uganda can taste quite different than in the UK because it's grown there fresh and not shipped thousands of miles. Maize flour or Posho is the most popular food a Ugandan will eat most days. A Ugandan can eat up to 7lbs of bananas a week. There are over 9 different varieties of bananas in Uganda ranging form very small sweet ones (about 10cm) to great big green ones (27cm) that need to be peeled with a knife. All the fruits seem much bigger than we buy in the UK with huge pineapples, avocados and melons costing just a few pence.

Many people who don't live in Kampala or larger towns in Uganda won't have electricity. Even if you are privileged to have electricity, very often it’s too expensive to cook with.

Here is a list of foods Ugandans often use in cooking.

• Vegetables

  • Yams
  • Okra
  • Watermelon
  • Cassava
  • Groundnuts & Cashew nuts
  • Black-eyed Beans
  • Cabbage & Greens
  • Maize/Corn
  • Sweet & Irish Potatoes

• Meats

  • Chicken & Duck
  • Pork & Mutton
  • Beef & Goat
  • Fish of local varieties (Talapia and Nile Perch)

• Spices

  • Garlic
  • Melegueta pepper - West African (substitute use cardamon)
  • cloves
  • black peppercorns
  • cardamom
  • nutmeg
  • turmeric
  • pilau mix
  • curry powder

• Fruits

  • Mangos
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Watermelons
  • Lemons
  • Paw paws
  • Oranges
  • Jack fruit
  • Guavas
  • Pineapples
  • Tomatoes  
  • Papayas

Many people in Uganda don't have well paid jobs; the average wage is about £50 per month.

Some things can be very expensive and impossible to buy for most people like: televisions, computers, fridges, cookers, cars, DVD players, beds and sofas, tables and chairs, books and magazines, new clothes and shoes, tools and phones.  

Meat is too expensive to eat everyday and is usually only served on special occasions. Chicken is very special and very often only eaten at Christmas and Easter. Some of the poorer people who live in rural communities only have the opportunity to eat an egg three times a year.

Activity

Next time you are out shopping see if you can find these foods in the supermarket or the greengrocers?

• Mango
• Carrot
• Maize - corn
• Avocado
• Beans
• Sweet potato
• Banana
• Carrot
• Cabbage
• Watermelon

What do these foods taste like? Do you have to cook them or do you eat them raw?

Some fruits and vegetables appear very cheap in Uganda because this is where they are grown and don't need to be imported.

• Oranges  2p each
• Mangoes small 2p and large 4p each
• Avocados large 6p each
• Sweet Potatoes 15p per kilo
• Bananas 15p for 12
• Cabbages 15p each
• Pineapple 8p small and 12p large each

Next time you go to the supermarket you could fine out how much these items cost to buy where you live.

Fund-Raising Ideas

Try preparing a meal for friends or family using foods on the list of ingredients Ugandans often use, and ask for a small donation for Amigos from everyone who enjoys your meal.

Can you find recipes for Ugandan meals? Try these websites:

• ugandanetwork.org.uk
• fairtradecookbook.org.uk

Fact

Did you know that some Ugandan children have only one small meal a day? Very poor children living in the slums sometimes look for food on rubbish tips.

Recipes

East African Vegetable Soup

• 1med Onion, chopped
• 8cups Vegetable stock or water
• 1teaspoon of each ground cumin & ginger
• ½teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼teaspoon Cayenne
• 1large Carrot, sliced
• 1cup Tomatoes, chopped
• 1½cups Corn kernels
• 2cups (Red) potatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup Creamy peanut butter
• ½cup Boiling water
• 4cup Green cabbage, chopped
• 1cup Green beans, sliced
• 1medium Banana (optional)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook onion in 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in spices and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Add remaining vegetable broth, carrots, tomatoes, corn, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter and boiling water. Add to pot along with cabbage and green beans. Stir well to combine and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with banana slices.

African Chicken Stew

• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 3 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into one inch pieces
• 1½ cups Chopped onions
• 2 Garlic cloves; minced
• 28oz Can whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
• ¼ cup Creamy peanut butter
• ½ tbsp Chili powder
• ½ tbsp Salt
• ¼ tbsp Crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
• 3 cups Cooked rice
• 1 cup Chopped dry roasted peanuts

Heat oil in Dutch Oven or large saucepan over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken, onions and garlic; cook about five minutes or until chicken is browned and onions are tender. Stir in tomatoes, peanut butter, chili powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 35 minutes. Serve over rice; sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

African Vegetarian Stew

• 4small Kohlrabies, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 Zucchini, sliced thick
• 5 Tomatoes, fresh or 16oz Can Tomatoes
• 15oz Can Garbanzo beans (chick-peas) with liquid
• ½cups Couscous or Bulgar Wheat
• ¼cups Raisins, dark or golden
• 1tsp Ground Coriander
• ½tsp Ground Turmeric
• ½tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ½tsp Ground Ginger
• ¼tsp Ground Cumin
• 3cups Water

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Note: Serve the couscous separately, if desired. Parsnips may be substituted for the kohlrabi. Serves 8.

Chicken with Honey

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons Oil
• 2 Onions, chopped
• 1cup ground or crushed slivered almonds
• 2 teaspoons low-fat margarine
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Clove garlic, chopped
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1½ cups low-fat Chicken broth
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1teaspoon fresh Basil
• ½ cup Honey
• 2 teaspoons Cornstarch

In casserole, heat butter and oil and brown chicken, season with salt " pepper if desired. Remove. In remaining fat, cook onion and garlic until translucent. Add almonds, basil, pepper, and honey and cook, stirring, until mixture is well blended. Combine broth and cornstarch and add to casserole; cook, stirring, over high heat until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and replace chicken, spooning sauce over. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender.

African Banana Peanut Cake

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Baking soda
• 2/3 cup Butter or margarine; softened
• ¾ cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 4 large Bananas (very ripe); peeled and mashed
• 1cup Salted peanuts(divided); coarsely chopped

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas just until combined; sir in 1/2 cup chopped peanuts. Scrape batter into well-greased loaf tin,; sprinkle top evenly with remaining chopped peanuts. Bake in 350-degree F. oven 60 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; turn out of pan and cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Cake is best if served next day.

Ginger Soft Drink

• 6 cups Boiling water
• 1 cup Ginger root;fresh, peeled & grated
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cloves, whole
• 4 Cinnamon sticks
• ½ cup Lime juice; fresh or lemon juice
• 8 cups Cool water

Many variations of homemade ginger beers (soft drinks) are brewed all over sub-saharan Africa. Fresh ginger makes a spicy drink, cooling in summer, warming in winter and always refreshing and energizing. Fruit juices other than the citrus called for below, make interesting variations in its flavour. When using other juices, I always add the juice of a couple of lemons or limes. This recipe makes a concentrate that can be diluted with plain or sparkling water." Pour the boiling water over the grated ginger root, sugar, cloves and cinnamon in a large nonreactive pot or bowl (enamel, glass or stainless steel). Cover and set aside in a warm place, in the sun if possible, for at least an hour. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cloth. Add the juices and water. Set aside in a warm place for another hour or so. Gently strain the liquid again, taking care not to disturb the sediment at the bottom. Store in the refrigerator in a large nonreactive container. A glass gallon jar or jug works well. Serve warm, chilled or on ice, either as is or diluted with water or sparkling water. A squeeze of fresh lime juice in each glass of ginger drink is "the cat's meow".

Chapati

• 2½ cup Whole wheat flour
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1 tbs Salt
• 1 cup Water; Lukewarm

Put 2 cups flour into a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into small pieces. Make a hollow in the centre of the flour and add butter. Rub butter into flour with your fingertips until mixture looks like large bread crumbs. Mix salt into water. Add enough water, a little at a time, to flour mixture to make a firm (but not stiff) dough. Knead dough in bowl for about 5 or 10 minutes. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Divide dough into 1-1/2 inch pieces, and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup flour onto a flat surface. With a rolling pin, roll out each ball until it resembles a thin pancake. [Try not to incorporate too much extra flour into the chapati - it makes them tough.] Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Place one chapati in the centre. When small brown spots appear and the edges begin to curl up (in about 1 minute), turn the chapati over with a spatula. Cook chapati for about 2 minutes or until small brown spots appear. Wrap the cooked chapati in a towel to keep them warm. Makes 12 to 15 chapati.

Note: Butter may be omitted, or the amount of butter may be reduced.

Banana and Mango Bread

• 1 cup Butter
• 1¼ cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 3 cup Self-raising flour
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon Grated Fresh Nutmeg
• 1½ cup Mashed Ripe Bananas
• 1 Small Ripe Mango (pureed)
• 1 cup Golden Raisins
• ½ cup Chopped Walnuts

The recipe says to use self-raising cake/pastry flour and the small ripe mango should be peeled and pureed. In a bowl, cream the butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. In another bowl, combine self-raising flour with salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine mashed bananas with mango puree. Mix the dry ingredients and banana mixture, alternately, into the creamed mixture until batter is just combined; fold in raisins and nuts. Pour batter into 2 greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the centre tests done. Leave in pan for 10 minutes; remove form loaf pans and let cool on racks. Makes 2 loaves.

Maize Porridge

• Serves 6 to 8
• 4 cups water
• 2½ cups white cornmeal

1. Bring 3 cups of the water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Combine 1½ cups of the cornmeal with the remaining 1 cup water.
3. Reduce heat to low and add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes, slowly adding the remaining cup of cornmeal.
5. When the mixture is very thick and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, transfer to a serving bowl or plate.
6. Use a spoon to shape the mixture into a round ball (you may also use wet hands).
7. This stiff porridge is popular throughout Africa and is typically used to scoop up sauces and food from plates.

Posho

Posho is usually made from maize (corn) and is best eaten at every meal. It is a starchy accompaniment for any beat, meat, or vegetable sauce.

If you'd like to make it yourself you need: four cups corn flour, white cornmeal or ground maize (white cornmeal is preferred, it should be finely ground, like flour. Latin American style corn flour, as is used in tortillas, tamales, pupusas, etc. is the right kind. Cornmeal grits, farina, or cream of wheat can also be used) and eight cups water.

What you do: Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour the corn flour into boiling water. Avoid forming lumps. Stir continuously and mash any lumps that do form. Add more corn flour until it is thicker than mashed potatoes. Cook for three or four minutes, continue to stir. (Continuing to stir as the posho thickens is the secret to success). Top with a pat of butter or margarine, if desired. Cover and keep warm. Serve immediately with any meat or vegetable stew, or any dish with a sauce or gravy.

To eat posho: use your right hand to tear off a small handful of posho, shape it into a ball and make a dent in it, and use it to scoop up your sauce or gravy.