Ugandan cuisine consists of traditional and modern cooking styles,
practices, foods and dishes in Uganda, with English, Arab, Asian and
especially Indian influences. Like the cuisines of most countries, it varies in
complexity from a simple starchy filler with a sauce of beans or meat, to
multi-course meals served in upper-class homes and high-end restaurants.
Most tribes in Uganda have their own specialty dish or delicacy. Many
dishes include various vegetables, potatoes, yams, bananas and other
tropical fruits. Chicken, fish (usually fresh, but there is also a dried variety,
reconstituted for stewing), beef, goat and mutton are all commonly eaten,
although among the rural poor, meats are consumed less than in other
areas. Nyama is the Swahili word for "meat".
Main dishes are usually centered on a sauce or stew of groundnuts, beans or meat. The starch traditionally
comes from ugali (maize meal) or matooke (boiled and mashed green banana) in the South, or an ugali made
from millet in the North. Ugali is cooked up into a thick porridge for breakfast. For main meals, white flour is
added to the saucepan and stirred into the ugali until the consistency is firm. It is then turned out onto a
serving plate and cut into individual slices (or served onto individual plates in the kitchen). Cassava, yam and
African sweet potato are also eaten; the more affluent include white (often called "Irish") potato and rice in
their diets. Soybeans were promoted as a healthy food staple in the 1970s and this is also used, especially for
breakfast. Chapati, an Asian flatbread, is also part of Ugandan cuisine.
Various leafy greens are grown in Uganda. These may be boiled in the stews, or served as side dishes in fancier
homes. Amaranth (dodo), nakati, and borr are examples of regional greens. Fruits such as bananas and
pineapples are plentiful and commonly consumed in cooked foods or eaten as snacks or as a dessert.
Lunch is typically the heaviest meal of the day, eaten around 1pm. Dinner is slightly lighter and usually eaten
around 8pm. If you are invited to someone’s home in Uganda, they will typically serve you something,
whether it is tea with snacks or a full meal. It is considered rude to not eat the food in such settings.
In many traditional, rural Ugandan homes the women and children sit on a mat on the floor to eat, while the
man sits at the table. In more modern families, everybody sits together at the table, although some women
still prefer to eat while sitting on a mat on the floor. In central Uganda, people do not typically greet others
while eating. If someone comes late to the table, they should not attempt to shake hands with or greet those
who are already sitting and eating
