Food in Uganda
When we talk about food, we generally mean anything we can put in our mouths. So, you might scratch your head in confusion when sitting in a local Ugandan restaurant, faced with the choice of "Food with beans" or "Food with goat." In
Uganda, "food" refers to the staple meals that nearly every Ugandan eats daily for dinner.
This usually consists of a plate piled high with carbohydrates, as food primarily serves as fuel for the body. You can choose from different types of rice, matooke (savory boiled banana), posho (a bland maize flour porridge), potatoes, cassava, or pumpkin—often all at once. To top it off, you select a sauce to bring some flavor to your meal. Common choices include brown beans, chickpeas, g-nut sauce (a type of peanut sauce), or various types of meat such as chicken, beef, goat, or fish.
You could compare "food" in Uganda to Dutch bread: a simple staple, except that instead of sprinkles, they add goat!
My 4 Favorite Ugandan Recipes
#1 - Rolex!
No, not the fancy watch brand. The Ugandan Rolex actually means "Rolled Eggs" and is perhaps the most popular street food you can devour for as little as 35 cents. A key ingredient in this delicious snack is the chapati, a type of savory pancake that was brought to Uganda generations ago by Indian migrants.
For an authentic Rolex, head to one of the countless street food stalls where cheerful Ugandans prepare fresh chapatis on a sizzling hot plate. A thick omelet is then cooked and rolled inside the chapati—voilà, your Rolex is ready!
Each Rolex vendor offers their own variation. Some prepare Rolexes in an entire bottle of oil (the perfect greasy fix after a late-night outing). The eggs are usually mixed with tomato and onion, but if you're in a healthy mood, you can ask for avocado, lettuce, or bell peppers. Want to go all out? Some restaurants serve gourmet Rolexes with special ingredients like spiced beef or chicken!
#2 - Kikomando
My personal favorite—and daily staple—is Kikomando. A Muzungu (foreigner) with a Kikomando addiction is something many Ugandans find hilarious, as this dish is often considered "ghetto food."
Like the Rolex, Kikomando is also based on chapati. The chapati is chopped into small pieces and served on a plate with a generous ladle of brown bean sauce poured over it. That’s it—Kikomando in its simplest form, for as little as ten cents.
I usually get my dinner from my favorite street food stall in my neighborhood, where they also add various vegetables to the beans. It’s budget-friendly and absolutely finger-licking good!
#3 - Fresh Fish
A large part of Uganda lies along the shores of
Lake Victoria, which is teeming with tilapia and Nile perch. Once upon a time, the lake was home to tropical fish in all the colors of the rainbow. Unfortunately, they all met a gruesome end when British colonists decided to introduce tilapia and Nile perch. The colonists were left scratching their heads when they realized these monstrous fish had devoured all the native species, leaving no trace of the original tropical fish.
The upside? Nile perch and tilapia are absolutely delicious. In
Kampala, Uganda’s capital city right on the lake, you can find fresh tilapia everywhere—a far cry from the cheap frozen fish in Dutch supermarkets! You get the fried fish served whole, accompanied by avocado, tomato, and fries. Forget about utensils—tilapia is meant to be eaten with your bare hands.
If you want to go fully Ugandan, make sure nothing goes to waste. Suck the last bits of meat from the bones and don’t forget to eat the eye—it’s considered the tastiest part of the fish by many Ugandans!
#4 - Ensenene, or Grasshoppers
When November arrives, it's time to dance through the streets because it's grasshopper season again (ensenene in the local language)! This is the delicate snack that everyone eagerly awaits. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, with a distinct flavor that’s hard to describe.
Buy the grasshoppers fresh and fry them in a pan with some garlic, onion, and spices. Too lazy for that? No worries! From November onwards, vendors line the streets and local markets with large plastic containers full of fried and seasoned grasshoppers, ready to eat.
Never tried a grasshopper before? The first bite might send shivers down your spine as their crispy heads crunch between your teeth and you pick a stray antenna from between your front teeth. But if you push through, you might just discover your new favorite snack to munch on during a movie night!
