Foodie!! - Kenyan delights

Eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. ~ Mark Twain :)

No travel is complete without trying out the authentic recipes of those places. This is for my friends on the traveling team of SEI 2012. Everyone has a picture of Kenya. Broad savannas teeming with wildlife, ancient landscapes, safari and so on. But many don't know about the diverse and ethnic food varieties that exists in this amazing country.One element about Kenyan food is its diverse flavor. Kenyan cooking draws upon a variety of ethnic traditions merged with the seasonings and tastes of outside countries. Cooking methods and presentation of Kenyan foods have been greatly influenced by Indians, Arabs, Europeans and some western countries as well.The most popular food in Kenya are fresh foods from the country's vast resources. Farmland, lakes and the Indian Ocean provides necessary and fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. Common vegetables include Kale, Cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, avocados and beans. Beef and goat meat are the most common meats served in Kenyan meal. Chicken, fish and mutton are also available but a little more expensive. Other main ingredients of Kenyan dishes include rice, corn meal, wheat and millet flour.Kenyans are avid tea drinkers, hence hot beverages like tea and coffee are often served with meals. Tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapples, bananas and pears are cheap and plentiful depending on their seasonal availability.Let's take a short tour of the ethnic Kenyan menu and find out some of the delicacies!! 

• Ugali - a semi-hard cake made of maize (corn) flour or millet flour. It's a favorite meal for all Kenyans.

• Sukuma Wiki - a vegetable stew made of leafy green vegetables, mainly collards or kale. Sukuma wiki is the foundation of many Kenyan meals

• Nyama Choma - The most popular dish in Kenya is this roasted beef or goat meat meal.

• Kachumbari - a fine mixture of chopped tomatoes, onions, pepper, cilantro, lemon juice and in some cases, avocado.

• Chapati - a round, flat unleavened bread cooked on a griddle to a soft brown color and served with meat stew and vegetables.

• Githeri - a mixture of boiled maize(corn) and beans that can be lightly fried with onion. It is a popular meal among the Kamba and Kikuyu tribes.

• Ingoho - chicken cooked "Luhya style" by the Luhya tribe of Western Kenya. It is their signature meal, which they serve to important visitors.

• Pilau – cooked rice, flavored with Indian spices.

• Wali - rice boiled in coconut milk. Along the Kenyan coast, wali is a popular meal of the Swahili and Mijikenda tribes.

• Karanga - a meat and potato stew, usually served with ugali or rice.

• Kienyeji / Irio - potatoes mashed with either beans/peas or maize and pumpkin leaves, sautéed with onions and served with either beef stew or vegetables.

• Maandazi - deep fried sweets (similar to doughnuts) served for breakfast with tea or coffee.

• Chai - tea boiled with milk and sugar. It's served hot and is the beverage of choice for most Kenyans.

• Samosa - a delicious deep-fried, square-shaped, meat-filled dough that is served as a snack or appetizer.