Eating the local food is sort of a rite of passage when visiting Uganda. While we'd received mixed reviews from those who'd visited before us, most were positive. Sara already had several favorites from her earlier trip.
So on our first Monday in country, Lori took us to a local restaurant to introduce us to the food the Ugandans eat, in part to prepare us for our visit to one of the villages scheduled for later in the week.
Lori ordered a sampling of the most common food items. The staple of the Ugandan diet is Matoke, a green banana which is not sweet, and after mashing and steaming, has the consistency of mashed potatoes. Posho, made from corn meal, is another of the staples. We also had some pinto beans cooked with tomato and spices, and peas similar to navy beans. To round things out, we had some pumpkin, greens, chicken broth, and goat stew. While we ate with forks and spoons at the cafe, in the village one eats with their hands, picking up a portion of Matoke or Posho between the thumb and fingers, forming a scoop to pick up the beans or peas or some chicken broth or goat stew. We liked everything. To me, the food was very much like southern downhome American food.
I'm pretty sure that I could get used to it and enjoy it, but that the result would not be staying trim and fit like the Ugandans who push the matoke to the local town markets on their bicycles!
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