Food For Thought!

I think it is safe to say that the jet lag is just about over. It is a bit of a hard adjustment because this summer in Shilo it got dark at around 10:30 pm and the sun came up around 6:00. Here in Kampala, it gets dark around 6 p.m. and the sun is rising at around 6 am. I find myself going to sleep around 9pm and waking with the sun at 6am.

It is hard to write these blogs because there are so many things that are fun and interesting to write about, and well as you all know, I am a talker…so if I could I would tell you EVERYTHING!

I think, I will start with the basics…so PLEASE, if there is a “topic” that you would like me to inform you about don’t hesitate…(I am sure Dad and uncle Doug have great ideas!) Leslie…recipes to send you soon!

Tonight, I am going to tell you about FOOD!

Many differences here: (Based on what I have eaten so far!)

Breakfast (although I am not sure if typical because both Tusu and his wife Dorca work, so this might vary from family to family)

I have coffee, toast, and FRESH fruit. Just delicious! Mango, Pineapple, Bananas and Popo…that local for Papaya!

***Side note***---THERE ARE OVER 25 VARITIES OF BANANAS (well I think that should be a blog entry in itself!)

Lunch and Dinner are usual quite similar, but lunch is served at around 1pm and dinner is at 9pm…YES, that is NOT a typo. Here in Uganda, families eat dinner at 9pm and then go to bed!!!! My dreams have been wild.

Ugandans eat a lot of Matoke…Matoke is from the banana family. The fruit is taken from the peeling and placed in banana leaves, wrapped up tight, steamed for a while, then smashed and pressed while still in the leaves, and then steamed some more. Now, it is very delicious, but it takes some getting used to because it is very thick.

Then, there is either rice or potatoes (served in various forms mashed or “Irish”)

A dish that has a broth or juice such as baked beans or peas in a broth.

Then meat, so far I have had chicken stew, beef stew, and fried chicken (not battered). ***another side note*** the chicken meat is not purchased all cut up…you actually buy the whole chicken, naked or with feathers, and then the butcher/hacker just cuts up the entire bird…so you are left with pieces of the chicken that still have the bone attached…so nothing is really wasted.

They also have squash (yum), plantains (a sweet form of banana cut into chunks…cooked), Chapat (Sp??) formed like a pancake, without the rising…perhaps just flour and water than fried, cabbage cut thin, greens, sweet potatoes etc…

The broth of the stews, beans, peas etc… is used to pour over the Matoke, potatoes/rice to cut up the starchiness, used like we would a gravy at home.

The purple sauce I mentioned the other day are actually peanuts that are ground and smashed until they form a liquid. It is very good.


Delicious? Absolutely! Carb conscious? Absolutely not! This food is amazing and I have asked the lady who cooks dinner at Tusu’s home to teach me, so this weekend, I am going to take some cooking lessons from Mama Roca

I guarantee you would love Ugandan food (especially men)…it is very hearty and full of flavor.

Oh and drinks! Fresh juice…passion fruit, lime, lemon, orange…picked, squeezed, and served.

Have a great day and please leave me a comment as to what I should write next!

(Sorry..I have tried to 2 hours to uplaod pictures and it is not working...I will try again later)