Some friends have asked us what Tanzanian food is like. So let’s start by talking about ugali.
We’ve only eaten it a few times (they serve it in the dining room here at the language center almost every day); it’s a stiff porridge made of maize flour and water that on it’s own, is pretty bland. But usually, it’s eaten with a very flavorful vegetable or meat stew.
While we’ve seen most people eat it with a fork, the traditional way is to take a lump of it, form a ball, and then either dip it in sauce or stew OR make a dent in the ball and use the ugali like a scoop to pick up meat or vegetables.
Ugali is eaten widely in East and Southern Africa. As it’s relatively cheap, easy to make, and keeps well, it’s a very important staple in the diet of millions of people in this area.
We thought it was funny when one of our guides at Arusha Park told us that he simply cannot get full without eating ugali. What about rice we asked? Hapana! No way! Eating rice makes you hungry after half an hour!
Which made us think of all the Chinese people who swear that rice is the only thing that fills...and all our European friends who swear by potatoes...and all the other European friends who swear by bread...
To each their own, sawa?
Sawa!
The Meat Lovers at Dinner with Mwalimu (Teacher) Nicholas
Breakfast - The cups on the left is filled with a breakfast porridge called uji made of millet
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