48 Dishes

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Coconut curry

Curry with coconut and meat, chicken, fish, seafood, goat, vegetables, plantains

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Grilled fish

Swahili culinary style fish cooked over a flame

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Irio

Mashed potatoes, green peas and corn

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Kati kati

Grilled chicken, serve with njama njama, fufu, chips, green bananas

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Kebda

Spiced and fried liver (beef, lamb, goat), serve with flatbread, tahini, rice

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Kitimoto

Pork sauteed with tomatoes, onions and amaranthus, serve with green bananas or plantains

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Kuku paka

Kuku paka is a chicken dish with a coconut-based curry and is also called “kuku na nazi”. it has arabic, indian and african influences. kuku in swahili means chicken. the dish is particularly popular in the east african coast and among the indian communities living in kenya, tanzania and uganda. paka in swahili means to smear, to spread or to apply.coconut milk or coconut cream and curry spices are the main ingredients of the dish. what sets apart kuku paka from other coconut curries is the flavor from char-grilling the chicken before adding it to the coconut curry base. this gives it a smoky flavor. shrimp or fish are often substituted for chicken in this popular east african dish. see "kuku na nazi".

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Kuku wa sekela

Marinated and grilled chicken, the marinade contains spices such as chili powder, coriander, garlic, ginger, tandoori powder, mustard, tamarind

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Mabele

Sorghum meal, commonly made into porridge, ting (sour porridge)

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Maharagwe

Beans, may be stewed in coconut milk, cooked with greens, plantains, onions, chili peppers, red plam oil

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Mbaazi za nazi

Pigeon peas in coconut curry, other beans may also be used

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Mchuzi wa kamba

Kamba style prawn curry, curried prawns

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Mchuzi wa samaki

Fish curry

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Mishkaki

Marinated meat kebabs, made with beef, chicken, lamb, goat, liver, fish, seafood, octopus

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Nyama choma

Grilled meat such as goat, sheep, beef, chicken, serve with mukimo (irio), spicy tomato relish

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Nyama kuku

Grilled or roasted chicken

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Sambusa

A samosa () is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. it may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of south asia, the middle east, central asia, east africa and their diasporas. the english word samosa derives from hindi word 'samosa' (hindi: समोसा), traceable to the middle persian word sanbosag (سنبوسگ) 'triangular pastry'. similar pastries are called sambusak in arabic; medieval arabic recipe books sometimes spell it sambusaj. the spelling samoosa is used in south africa.

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Ugali

Ugali, or sima, is a type of stiff maize flour porridge made in africa. it is also known as vuswa, bogobe, fufu, gauli, gima, isitshwala, kimnyet, kuon, mieliepap, ngima, nshima, obokima, ovuchima, (o)busuma, oshifima, oruhere, pap, phutu, posho, sadza, ubugali, and umutsima, among other names. sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. it is cooked in boiling water or milk until it reaches a stiff or firm dough-like consistency. in 2017, the dish was added to the unesco representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, one of a few foods in the list.

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Wali na maharage

Rice and beans, often using coconut rice

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Antelope

The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in africa and eurasia. antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous old world grazing and browsing hoofed mammals belonging to the family bovidae of the order artiodactyla.a stricter definition, also known as the "true antelopes," includes only the genera gazella, nanger, eudorcas and antilope. one north american species, the pronghorn, is colloquially referred to as the "american antelope," but it belongs to a different family than the african and eurasian antelopes. a group of antelope is called a herd. unlike deer antlers, which are shed and grown annually, antelope horns grow continuously.

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Crocodile

Crocodiles (family crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in africa, asia, the americas and australia. the term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant members of the order crocodilia, which includes the alligators and caimans (family alligatoridae), the gharial and false gharial (family gavialidae) among other extinct taxa. although they appear similar, crocodiles, alligators and the gharial belong to separate biological families. the gharial, with its narrow snout, is easier to distinguish, while morphological differences are more difficult to spot in crocodiles and alligators. the most obvious external differences are visible in the head, with crocodiles having narrower and longer heads, with a more v-shaped than a u-shaped snout compared to alligators and caimans. another obvious trait is that the upper and lower jaws of the crocodiles are the same width, and the teeth in the lower jaw fall along the edge or outside the upper jaw when the mouth is closed; therefore, all teeth are visible, unlike an alligator, which possesses in the upper jaw small depressions into which the lower teeth fit. also, when the crocodile's mouth is closed, the large fourth tooth in the lower jaw fits into a constriction in the upper jaw. for hard-to-distinguish specimens, the protruding tooth is the most reliable feature to define the species' family. crocodiles have more webbing on the toes of the hind feet and can better tolerate saltwater due to specialized salt glands for filtering out salt, which are present, but non-functioning, in alligators. another trait that separates crocodiles from other crocodilians is their much higher levels of aggression.crocodile size, morphology, behaviour and ecology differ somewhat among species. however, they have many similarities in these areas as well. all crocodiles are semiaquatic and tend to congregate in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water and saltwater. they are carnivorous animals, feeding mostly on vertebrates such as fish, reptiles, birds and mammals, and sometimes on invertebrates such as molluscs and crustaceans, depending on species and age. all crocodiles are tropical species that, unlike alligators, are very sensitive to cold. they separated from other crocodilians during the eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago. many species are at the risk of extinction, some being classified as critically endangered.

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Elephant

Elephants are the largest existing land animals. three living species are currently recognised: the african bush elephant, the african forest elephant, and the asian elephant. they are an informal grouping within the subfamily elephantinae of the order proboscidea; extinct non-elephant proboscideans include the mastodons, gomphotheres, and stegodon. elephantinae also contains several extinct groups, including the mammoths and palaeoloxodon. african elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. the distinctive features of all elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. the trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. the large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. the pillar-like legs carry their great weight. elephants are scattered throughout sub-saharan africa, south asia, and southeast asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. they are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. they are considered to be keystone species, due to their impact on their environments. elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. the groups, which do not include bulls, are usually led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch. males (bulls) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males. adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. they enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance over other males as well as reproductive success. calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. they communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances. elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. they appear to have self-awareness, and appear to show empathy for dying and dead family members. african bush elephants and asian elephants are listed as endangered and african forest elephants as critically endangered by the international union for conservation of nature (iucn). one of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. elephants are used as working animals in asia. in the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or exploited for entertainment in circuses. elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.

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Fish

Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. fish has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients throughout human history. the english language does not have a special culinary name for food prepared from fish like with other animals (as with pig vs. pork), or as in other languages (such as spanish pescado vs. pez). in culinary and fishery contexts, fish may include so-called shellfish such as molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms; more expansively, seafood covers both fish and other marine life used as food.since 1961, the average annual increase in global apparent food fish consumption (3.2 percent) has outpaced population growth (1.6 percent) and exceeded consumption of meat from all terrestrial animals, combined (2.8 percent) and individually (bovine, ovine, porcine, etc.), except poultry (4.9 percent). in per capita terms, food fish consumption has grown from 9.0 kg (19.8 lb) in 1961 to 20.2 kg (45 lb) in 2015, at an average rate of about 1.5 percent per year. the expansion in consumption has been driven not only by increased production, but also by a combination of many other factors, including reduced wastage, better utilization, improved distribution channels and growing consumer demand, linked with population growth, rising disposable incomes and urbanization.europe, japan and the united states of america together accounted for 47 percent of the world's total food fish consumption in 1961, but only about 20 percent in 2015. of the global total of 149 million tonnes in 2015, asia consumed more than two-thirds (106 million tonnes at 24.0 kg per capita). oceania and africa consumed the lowest share. the shift is the result of structural changes in the sector and in particular the growing role of asian countries in fish production, as well as a significant gap between the economic growth rates of the world's more mature fish markets and those of many increasingly important emerging markets around the world, particularly in asia.

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Gombo

Okra or okro (us: , uk: ), abelmoschus esculentus, known in many english-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. it has edible green seed pods. the geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of west african, ethiopian, southeast asian, and south asian origins. the plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world and is a notable part of the cuisine of the southern united states as well as middle eastern cuisine, indian cuisine, brazilian cuisine and sri lankan cuisine.

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Lobster

Lobsters are a family (nephropidae, synonym homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. lobsters have long bodies with muscular tails, and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.commercially important species include two species of homarus (which look more like the stereotypical lobster) from the northern atlantic ocean, and scampi (which look more like a shrimp, or a "mini lobster") — the northern hemisphere genus nephrops and the southern hemisphere genus metanephrops.

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Matoke

Matoke, locally also known as matooke, amatooke in buganda (central uganda), ekitookye in southwestern uganda, ekitooke in western uganda, kamatore in lugisu (eastern uganda), ebitooke in northwestern tanzania, igitoki in rwanda, burundi and by the cultivar name east african highland banana, is a starchy triploid banana cultivar originating from the african great lakes. the fruit is harvested green, carefully peeled, and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. in uganda and rwanda, the fruit is steam-cooked, and the mashed meal is considered a national dish in both countries.matoke bananas are a staple food crop in uganda, tanzania and other great lakes countries. they are also known as the mutika/lujugira subgroup. the medium-sized green fruits, which are of a specific group of banana, the east african highland bananas (musa aaa-ea), are known in the bantu languages of uganda as matoke. cooking bananas have long been and still are a common staple crop around the lake victoria area of uganda, and in the west and kilimanjaro regions of tanzania.

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Nyama

Meat, many ways to prepare, for example, stewed, grilled, stir fried

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Octopus

People of some cultures eat octopus. the arms and sometimes other body parts are prepared in various ways, often varying by species and/or geography. octopuses are sometimes eaten or prepared alive, a practice that is controversial due to scientific evidence that octopuses experience pain.

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Ostrich

Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus struthio in the order struthioniformes, part of the infra-class palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. there are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich and the somali ostrich. they are native to africa and lay the largest eggs of any living land animal. with the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), they are the fastest birds on land. they are farmed worldwide, particularly for their feathers as they are used as decoration and feather dusters. their skin is also used for leather products. ostriches are notable for being the heaviest living birds.

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Samaki

Stewed, grilled, dried, curried, fried

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Seafood

Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus and squid), crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, and lobster), and echinoderms (e.g. sea cucumbers and sea urchins). historically, marine mammals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins) as well as seals have been eaten as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times. edible sea plants such as some seaweeds and microalgae are widely eaten as sea vegetables around the world, especially in asia. seafood is an important source of (animal) protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. semi-vegetarians who consume seafood as the only source of meat are said to adhere to pescetarianism. the harvesting of wild seafood is usually known as fishing or hunting, while the cultivation and farming of seafood is known as aquaculture and fish farming (in the case of fish). most of the seafood harvest is consumed by humans, but a significant proportion is used as fish food to farm other fish or rear farm animals. some seafoods (i.e. kelp) are used as food for other plants (a fertilizer). in these ways, seafoods are used to produce further food for human consumption. also, products such as fish oil and spirulina tablets are extracted from seafoods. some seafood is fed to aquarium fish, or used to feed domestic pets such as cats. a small proportion is used in medicine, or is used industrially for nonfood purposes (e.g. leather).

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Shellfish

Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some are found in freshwater. in addition, a few species of land crabs are eaten, for example cardisoma guanhumi in the caribbean. shellfish are among the most common food allergens.despite the name, shellfish are not fish. most shellfish are low on the food chain and eat a diet composed primarily of phytoplankton and zooplankton. many varieties of shellfish, and crustaceans in particular, are actually closely related to insects and arachnids; crustaceans make up one of the main subphyla of the phylum arthropoda. molluscs include cephalopods (squids, octopuses, cuttlefish) and bivalves (clams, oysters), as well as gastropods (aquatic species such as whelks and winkles; land species such as snails and slugs). molluscs used as a food source by humans include many species of clams, mussels, oysters, winkles, and scallops. some crustaceans that are commonly eaten are shrimp, lobsters, crayfish, crabs and barnacles. echinoderms are not as frequently harvested for food as molluscs and crustaceans; however, sea urchin roe is quite popular in many parts of the world, where the live delicacy is harder to transport.though some shellfish harvesting has been unsustainable, and shrimp farming has been destructive in some parts of the world, shellfish farming can be important to environmental restoration, by developing reefs, filtering water and eating biomass.

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Shrimp

Shrimp are crustaceans with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly caridea and dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are referred to as "shrimp". more narrow definitions may be restricted to caridea, to smaller species of either group or to only the marine species. under a broader definition, shrimp may be synonymous with prawn, covering stalk-eyed swimming crustaceans with long, narrow muscular tails (abdomens), long whiskers (antennae), and slender legs. any small crustacean which resembles a shrimp tends to be called one. they swim forward by paddling with swimmerets on the underside of their abdomens, although their escape response is typically repeated flicks with the tail driving them backwards very quickly. crabs and lobsters have strong walking legs, whereas shrimp have thin, fragile legs which they use primarily for perching.shrimp are widespread and abundant. there are thousands of species adapted to a wide range of habitats. they can be found feeding near the seafloor on most coasts and estuaries, as well as in rivers and lakes. to escape predators, some species flip off the seafloor and dive into the sediment. they usually live from one to seven years. shrimp are often solitary, though they can form large schools during the spawning season.they play important roles in the food chain and are an important food source for larger animals ranging from fish to whales. the muscular tails of many shrimp are edible to humans, and they are widely caught and farmed for human consumption. commercial shrimp species support an industry worth 50 billion dollars a year, and in 2010 the total commercial production of shrimp was nearly 7 million tonnes. shrimp farming became more prevalent during the 1980s, particularly in china, and by 2007 the harvest from shrimp farms exceeded the capture of wild shrimp. there are significant issues with excessive bycatch when shrimp are captured in the wild, and with pollution damage done to estuaries when they are used to support shrimp farming. many shrimp species are small as the term shrimp suggests, about 2 cm (0.79 in) long, but some shrimp exceed 25 cm (9.8 in). larger shrimp are more likely to be targeted commercially and are often referred to as prawns, particularly in britain.

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Wild game

Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation ("sporting"), or for trophies. the species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, though most are terrestrial mammals and birds. fish caught non-commercially (recreational fishing) are also referred to as game fish.

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Peanut butter rice

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Pilau

Pilaf (us spelling) or pilau (uk spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some technique for achieving cooked grains that do not adhere.at the time of the abbasid caliphate, such methods of cooking rice at first spread through a vast territory from india to spain, and eventually to a wider world. the spanish paella, and the south asian pilau or pulao, and biryani, evolved from such dishes. pilaf and similar dishes are common to balkan, caribbean, south caucasian, central asian, east african, eastern european, latin american, middle eastern, and south asian cuisines. it is a staple food and a popular dish in afghanistan, albania, armenia, azerbaijan, bangladesh, bulgaria, china (notably in xinjiang), cyprus, georgia, greece (notably in crete), india, iraq (notably in kurdistan), iran, israel, kazakhstan, kenya, kyrgyzstan, mongolia, nepal, (pakistani cuisine) pakistan, romania, russia, serbia, sri lanka, tanzania (notably in zanzibar), tajikistan, turkey, turkmenistan, uganda, and uzbekistan.

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Coconut bean soup

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Duckling Dar es Salaam

Stewed duckling with vegetables and plantains

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Githeri

Githeri (gĩtheri), also called muthere or mutheri, is a kenyan traditional meal of maize and legumes, mostly beans of any type mixed and boiled together. the maize and beans are mixed together in a sufuria or pot, water is then added and the mixture is boiled until the food is cooked and ready to eat. githeri is the staple food of the gikuyu, meru, mbeere people and embu people in the central province and eastern province of kenya, but it is also popular in other parts of the country and other communities, such as the kamba people of eastern province of kenya. the beans and maize can either be fresh or dry, but most people prefer fresh because of the better taste. it is easily accessible because maize and beans are readily available in these areas since they are mostly sourced directly from local farms and homesteads. githeri can also be made into a stew with the addition of vegetables and potatoes, and sometimes meat. githeri is also used to make mukimo after the addition of potatoes, bananas, and greens, and mashing up the mixture. lately, there has been a rise in the popularity of githeri due to the health benefits associated with the plant-based dish. the same dish based comprising two key ingredients of maize and beans other available legumes and even ground nuts is known by other names and as a traditional dish from at least as far north of africa as ethiopia right down to south africa. kande, pure and ngate are some of the names it goes by in different parts of tanzania. the dish has quite a much bigger footprint than just kenya and the gikuyu tribe. part of the popularity of this dish arises because it has been the main meal served to students since the 1920s. eating githeri is now a trend for young people. many hotels in kenya serve githeri.

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Karanga

Peanut stew with beef, chicken, vegetables, potatoes, coconut milk

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Mchemsho

Stewed vegetables and meat, for example, carrots, green bananas, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, garlic, chicken, fish, goat, spices, herbs, serve with flatbread

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Mtori

Mtori is a popular tanzanian stew made of bananas and meat, but it contain other ingredients (e.g. potatoes, milk or cream). the soup originated in the kilimanjaro area of tanzania, specifically the moshi-arusha region. plantains/green bananas are often eaten in this region as the main source of starch. it has since spread to other areas throughout tanzania. a special stick is traditionally used to mash the bananas. mtori is often eaten by maasai women during a three-month period postpartum confinement for nutrition. during this postpartum period, women are given mainly soft foods (laini) to eat like mtori.because it is a thick stew, it can be served as a main course. it can be eaten during breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Ndengu

Stewed mung beans (pojo, green grams)

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Ndizi na nyama

Soup with green bananas and meat or fish

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Stewed meat

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. while water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, stock is also common. a small amount of red wine is sometimes added for flavour. seasoning and flavourings may also be added. stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), allowing flavours to mingle. stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. this makes it popular in low-cost cooking. cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry. stews are thickened by reduction or with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts of fat and flour. thickeners like cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot may also be used. stews are similar to soups, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. generally, stews have less liquid than soups, are much thicker and require longer cooking over low heat. while soups are almost always served in a bowl, stews may be thick enough to be served on a plate with the gravy as a sauce over the solid ingredients.