Friday, July 13, 2012

Stories from the Field: Eating in Uganda

By Hannah Hennessy


One of the best parts about traveling to a foreign country is getting to try all of the local food.  Before I embarked on my trip to Uganda, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of African food. It's not a type of cuisine that I had previously tasted, but I made a commitment to try everything, just as my mom taught me.

So far, I have loved the food in Uganda. All of the different kinds of rice and beans and vegetables covered in amazing sauces and full of strong flavors. Overall, there have been only a few foods that aren't too popular. In Nakamini, we have basically outlawed posho (cornmeal and water, basically a less flavorful polenta) and matoke (the Ugandan equivalent of mashed potatoes made with flavorless bananas). However, everything else is free game.

Some of our team favorites are fish stew and okra, chapati with guacamole, pizza on chapati crust, French toast, sukumiwiki, and basically anything with g-nut paste and honey.

Our best meal, however, coincided with our team Fourth of July celebration. Preparation began with the slaughtering of two mzungu (or GMO white) chickens in our backyard (slaughtered by myself and Modest). The meal continued with the boiling of fresh maize and sukumiwiki cooked with Jane's special sauce. Finally, Berna made us authentic Ugandan fried chicken. Basically, it was the best meal ever!!!

All of my culinary worries are long gone because (almost) all of my experiences have been amazing.

For the remainder of the summer, I plan on continuing to explore my food options and improve cooking my favorite Ugandan dishes (so far my small repertoire consists of chapati, fresh passion fruit juice, and charcoal stove pizzas).

Hannah is an intern working in Nakamini Village this summer. 

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