something for the tastebuds

People often ask me about the food in Uganda…let me talk about it a bit….from my first misconceptions, to my new understanding and appreciation…


When I first arrived in Uganda, I thought the food was extremely boring. The main flavoring spice being salt…and the food being nearly the same from day to day…breakfast , lunch and supper!! Many starches like Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, Kassava , matooke(mashed green banana) and rice…which would make up most of the meal, if not the whole meal. My misconception at this time was that this was the food of Uganda…..that it was boring and not very healthy….but only that it filled your stomach.

In the time that has passed since that time (nearly a year and a half of Ugandan Experience)…I have come to know many wonderful things about the Ugandan diet…and what foods are available here.

For example…while stuck in the inevitable traffic jam of the city…you have the amazing opportunity of buy-buying fresh veggies at any small roadside stand or from vendors walking among traffic – carrots, green peas, passion fruit, tomatoes, purple eggplant, avocado, green beans, cabbage, eggplant, etc…everything guaranteed to be preservative-free, pesticide-free. chemical-free. Everything is Free of genetic modifications of any kind….all organic, garden-grown, fresh and full of the flavor of having it’s roots in the deep red earth of Africa right up until the very moment it is ready for eating…. If any of you have known the difference between a garden-grown tomatoes and a store-bought tomatoes…you will know exactly what I am talking about…and you will be able to imagine the rich flavors of these vegetables.

The reason much of the food ends up tasting bland when cooked, is that everything is boiled until one cannot tell what it was before it was cooked! Change the method of cooking only slightly and all flavor can be preserved!! Learning to cook on a charcoal stove has not been easy for me, mostly because of my nervousness and feeling out of my element…but it is a continual learning process, and I am learning!! Lighting the charcoal stove is my biggest challenge these days…and there are some local foods that I do not know how to prepare…but those will come with time J

For the meat eaters…free-range chicken is the order of the day…which blesses everyone with the joyful clucking of a hen running around, surrounded by a brood of peeping chicks, pecking the ground for nourishment with a large rooster roosted on the root of a large tree nearby marking time with his crowing in the morning, at noon and around 6pm. Fresh fish is available from vendors every evening fresh from Lake Victoria…Pigs are kept in small pens by families for extra income, as well as small goats which seem to be everywhere tethered and grazing…and of course cattle are plentiful and arrive daily form the cattle keepers in western Uganda.

If you don’t feel like cooking in the evening – you can’t order in Pizza, but around 6pm, there are numerous vendors in every neighborhood who begin preparing the evening food and snacks….chapati, samosas, donuts and chipss (french fries)…also fresh roasted chicken, beef, and pork available on a skewer to take away…the smell of BBQ fills the air!

If you prefer something fresh on a hot day… chose some fruit right off of the tree…fresh and tasty and possibly in your own yard!! If you do not grow it, someone else does. and you can find mangos, apples, pineapple(the sweetest I’ve ever had!!)Avocado, passion fruit, Yellow sweet banana, oranges and Papaya…..Unfortunately, our Papaya Tree has a parasite of some sort, and therefore might not make it through the dry season!

Another fresh favorite here is natural honey, golden and sweet – straight from the village where it is harvested from natural bee communities….just let the beeswax fragments to float to the top. Scoop it off and enjoy the pure, unadulterated goodness of all-natural honey. Here it is enjoyed by the spoonful and a liter of this liquid gold will not last long!!!


For the more adventurous eaters…there are several tasty insects for your snacking pleasure….you can eat them de-legged and de-winged and then roasted or fried…OR buy them LIVE wrapped in a banana leaf…and eat them by the handful – wings, legs, antennae and all…just pile them into your mouth like popcorn and enjoy!!! Crunchy and fresh!!
(the answer to your question is NO….i have not eaten any insects!!)

And so, to conclude…the food in Uganda is not boring…and in fact, can be almost exciting!! The aspect I appreciate the most is that most of the food is healthy and good for you.,,. Even the food that is fried in oil, is fried in pure corn oil and is the only source of fatty food available, and we all need a little of that!!! What I’ve come to know is a Uganda rich in delectable, savoury, sweet and tantalizing flavours….if you stay awhile, give it a chance, are willing to be open and a little adventurous!!!