Culinary tour Uganda; Uganda sounds as one of the best ultimate countries in Africa and entire world with a diversity of taste foods but embedded in its different ethnic tribes and each tribe with its staple food. However, the best way to experience culture is through food.
Although Uganda is a small landlocked country yet in terms of culture is very big with over 50 tribes and most of these tribes have distinctive and unique foods. Meanwhile, food in Uganda serves to connect people with land and heritage and also good in dynamic channel for sharing stories, forming relationships and building communities.
Uganda’s food tourism tells story of a destination’s history, culture and people. Over the past years, ‘’DMOS’’ Destinations Marketing Organizations have leveraged the growth of mainstream interest in food to open new consumer markets and drive business of a wider range of regional travel suppliers that work in the food and beverage ‘’F&B’’ sector, all this were done believing that commitment are the best avenues to success in this industry. Therefore, these are the fundamentals reinforce such as economic, environmental and social health of our communities.
Through combining local food and beverages on Uganda culinary tours both local people and visitors an authentic taste of a place while supporting to a suitable world economy. In so doing that, it creates fruitful relationship between growers, processors, chefs, restauranteurs, providers, accommodation, distributors government and industry organization. Culinary tours, it’s all about experiencing a taste in the way you think about local Africa food.
Tourists in order to enjoy the best stay in Uganda, take time to experience new foods in different from your country of origin. Or visit and compare other types foods – African cuisine which is perfect both in the kinds of food served and how it is all prepared.
Below are some of the Uganda’s local dishes well prepared and delicious to who so ever have a taste for the first time. Take time upon your visit to Uganda and enjoy more of Uganda’s outstanding attractions.
Matooke;
Matooke in Uganda are the main staple food, which grow in green type of banana plantation. In Uganda matooke are the most consumed food in most of the regions especially in the western and central regions of Uganda hence the matooke is the major staple food of the most tribes. One to have the best taste of matooke in Uganda, is preparing it in traditional way while the banana sticks are peeled. Then after are well wrapped in banana leaves and cooked for some tours. Later on, it can be served either in mashed or stick form. While on visit, if you want to learn how prepare it through peeling and wrapping it in banana leave and then cook. When the Matooke gets ready, it is mashed and served to eat.
Other ways of cooking or preparing Matooke, to some people fry the Matooke with spices like tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, onions. In most cases, prepare it with ground nuts puree ‘’peanut’’ or any other source like meat or fish. More so, just as rice is to the Chinese, the same to Uganda who can be served 3 meals in a day.
There are several types of bananas produced in Uganda like the plantain ‘’Musa balbisiana’’ which preferably is enjoyed when it is cooked over charcoal. Although it can also be prepared by boiling. Other banana type in Uganda, they make out juice and others more like fruits that is the small sweet types of banana usually the ladyfinger bananas, locally called ‘’Menvu’’ and Lakatan bananas ‘’Bogoya’’. Bogoyas are sold all over the country even along the road whereas on your journey on a safari. These bogoya plantation are grown everywhere in the country. More common or sold along Kampala street vendors and in main markets.
Meat
Just like most countries 90% prefer eating meat, Uganda is not different when it comes with meat. Here is the most consumed meat in Uganda including; Beef ‘’Cow’s meat’’, goat’s meat, port and Chicken and of all sauces of meat, beef holds the large number in some regions. In a way that, meat is all over the country, given that Uganda is an agricultural destination with animal keeping practices. Due to the background, meat would have been cheaper to buy, instead it is expensive with chicken being the most expensive and beef the cheapest in most restaurant mostly in all urban centers.
However, meat can be prepared in different ways and if you’re on a culinary tour, you are showed how to locally prepare meat. Some of the way to prepare it, it is prepared as a stew with ingredients such as green peppers, onions, tomatoes and usually a mild curry powder is added. It can be delicious sauce served with either Matooke or Rice depending on your preferred food.
While on Uganda Culinary Food Tour, you can find various meat products like meat pies, burgers, sausages and samosas. Uganda meals are prepared in three times a day that is; Breakfast served with meat offal’s as a local breakfast meal and meat stew for lunch. Along most streets vendors are served barbequed meat on sticks. Some people enjoy eating Goat and Port roasts in most urban centers they are commonly seen. Therefore, how foods are prepared and consumed in Uganda varying from tribe to tribe due to their cultural differences, Culinary Tour Uganda.
Fish
Uganda is surrounded with water bodies of the second largest lake in the world Lake Victoria and other several lakes such as Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga among others. They are all home to different unique fish species. The common caught fish in Uganda are the Nile Perch, Tilapia many more. Among the two common fish species; Nile perch is the most famous species but larger than the Tilapia fish. It can be prepared in different ways, you can deep fry it or cooked in a stew. Due to its massive size, they cut it into very many pieces before it is served. Both the Tilapia and the Nile Perch are served in local restaurants around Uganda. Also street vendors sell them as well as in the Uganda markets. The prices of fish vary basing on the season.
Other type of fish caught and consumed most by Ugandans are the tiny silverfish which is called ‘’Mukene’’ in the local language. Mukene species can be caught with big nets but most especially at night. After they are laid to dry at the shores. These silverfish are good source of proteins mostly to those that cannot afford expensive food. Then to some farmers serve mukene to their chicken, pigs and dogs because of the high nutrient content found in them.
Fruits and Vegetables; Uganda has a lot of fruits and vegetables that tourists can visit and have taste.
Mangoes
This is one of the most grown fruit in Uganda. They are most grown in the Western Eastern and Northern side of Uganda. During their season growth which most time results into large number of heap of mangoes along the major highways, where they are being sold by the grower.
Pineapples
Uganda is one of the best pineapple growing countries in the World. Due to good climatic conditions and the soil nutrients support the growth of the most Juice and sweetest pineapples. Pineapples are sold in all corners of the country mostly in the southern and central side of Uganda such as supermarkets, markets and various street vendors can sell hundreds of Pineapple every day. Meaning, Juice making factories are all over the country.
Jackfruits
These are also part of the common wanted fruit to most of foreigners and the locals. In Uganda are commonly sold along the roadside vendors, bigger markets like Nakasero or Owino market. They have nice juice.
Other fruits to see or taste on visit to Uganda foods includes; watermelons, papayas, apples, passion fruit and guavas. In Uganda we also grow apples which are commonly grown in mountain regions with very cooler conditions and also distribute in the major town and markets.
Vegetables
Common vegetables consumed in Uganda includes; tomatoes, eggplants, cassava, green peppers, maize, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, eggplants among others. Also potatoes and carrots though they are less commonly consumed, the sweet and Irish potatoes are widely served mostly in south western Uganda.
Other vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, lettuce, celery and green bean are close to non-existent in the country.
While on Uganda Safari Tour, you can need to lookout for local tradition food such as;
Katogo; This is a common Ugandan eaten dish by people mainly in southern and Central Uganda. It can be well prepared with mixture of half proteins and search and the common one is of cassava and beans. Another katogo, Matooke with beef, ground nut sauce or fish, Culinary Tour Uganda.
Pilau
This dish can be prepared rice fried some vegetables and chucks of chicken or beef and spices for pilau.
Rolex
This is a street food made up of a chapatti wrapped with fried eggs and other fried vegetables.
Grasshoppers
These insects are very sweet and are seasonally in the western central side of the Uganda in the Masaka district. During seasonal grasshopper most of the locals get a lot of income high demand. How they are caught, they caught at night where light is shone on big tin sheets. Why it they use light it’s because attract them and blinds them temporarily, they fall into large buckets which are prepared below.
Other culinary food; They include food such as; roasted maize, Samosas, white fly ants and Mandazis among others.
