It’s known by many names, pap, nshima, ugali, posho and I’m sure some other variations in other African countries but this delicious maize flour dish is the staple here and you don’t have a choice but to eat it. If you don’t like it, then you’ll be out of an alternative especially if you’re a boarding pupil or if you live very rural.

I’ve been told that people don’t necessarily like it, but due to limited options and lack of money, they are forced to eat it!

Fin had his fill on day 2 of eating nshima and I learned to eat beans after decades of kicking against it… 

A very interesting phenomenon is the eating of chapati or more commonly know in my home country as roti. It’s practically as much a staple as ugali. Someone tried to explain the subtle differences to me, but it still eludes me. All I know is that it’s delicious… In Uganda it’s made on the street with a fried egg roled on the inside. 

I’ve also been introduced to a tiny silver fish called daga(Kenya) and kapenta(Zambia); a starch banana that is green in colour called matoke (Uganda) as well as my very first jackfruit. The jackfruit was delicious and the others just okay. Not really haute cuisine, but I’m sure an innovative chef can perform miracles with it. 

My stint in Africa has revealed one fundamental thing about food; no matter how little people have, they are always willing to share it.