Must-Try Traditional Kenyan Foods: Ugali to Matoke

The general information about Kenyan traditional food was drawn from the Arabs, Europeans, Indians and Pakistanis. They have led to the diversity of Kenyan cuisine. Kenyan traditional food was mostly supplemented by the British, Arabs and the Indian fare. Therefore, these developments have gone on for centuries, making it hard to separate the Kenyan people from their traditional food. Following are some of Kenya’s traditional foods that Nairobi restaurants will serve you.

Ugali

Ugali is the most common staple food in Kenya. It is made of maize, millet or sorghum flour that is added to boiling water and heated until it becomes a dense block of cornmeal paste. Ugali is usually eaten with meat stew, nyama choma or even well-cooked vegetables. Ugali is well known as a kind of energy-giving and bodybuilding food.

Pilau

Pilau is a combination of rice cooked with flavor-bursting spices like cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. The rice is then taken with meat stew, fresh tomatoes and onions. The other ingredients include meat vegetables or fried fruits. It is the most delicious traditional food here in the country consumed by the majority of the locals.

Matoke

It is a dish that originated from Uganda and is the staple food for them and currently popular in Kenya. Plain banana is cooked with oil, tomatoes, onions, garlic, chilies, meat and lemon juice. Matoke is also known as matooke in South Africa where the fruits are harvested while still green, carefully peeled and cooked and mashed into a meal. Get prepared matoke at Gikomba Market.

Githeri

This is the simplest traditional food to be prepared. The maize and the beans are combined in a sufuria (deep dish) and water is added to the mixture until the food is cooked and ready to be eaten. It is also a combination of boiled beans and corn kernels mixed with a little bit of green vegetables. To make it more nutritious and delicious, you can combine it with salt, pepper, chilies and even take it with chapatti. People from Thika Town are known to be used to this food.

Chapatti

Chapatti's origin in Kenya was a result of the Indian population. The Kenyan chapattis are prepared by making a flour dough that is wound into a coil before being rolled. The dough is then fried using plenty of oil so that it becomes crispy on the edges. It is considered as Kenya’s special food and is eaten with cabbage, beans, tea and meat stew.