Patriot's Diary # 10: It's not food, it's a ritual

After a long day of eating myself senseless and being absolutely clueless of

what to write, I realized that my pride and joy of Kenya was resting in my belly! Patriotism is a personal routine, a ritual if I may, that leads me to a shrine of edible delights; food.

In Kenya there is a meal for all occasions. You can go cultural, fast food, cultural fusion, snacks or street food. It’s in your face, at your disposal. But one thing that any visitor to this country will be exposed to is our undying love for our meat! (Right: Ugali & Nyamachoma)

If you are thinking of a party, hang out or just a trip out of town it has to start with Ugali na nyama choma (maize meal dish with barbequed beef) and then there’s the healthy helping of Kachumbari (mixture of finely diced onions, tomatoes, coriander and chili). Then there is mshikaki, beef skewers and for the beer lovers, Tusker Milele. As many say it’s the world’s best beer don’t be deceived by what you hear or see in the ads.

For a cultural meal, you are spoiled rotten. If you want something from the coastal area, you can eat anything from crocodile, octopus, sharks or any sea like delicacy.

But the highlight is Pilau, a rice meal made with various spices; cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and other amazing ingredients and at times some people mix the Pilau with, yes you guessed it, meat. Oh! And the Biryani; another rice based meal which is a palate seducing mixture of spices and meat of your choice though prepared differently from Pilau. You will notice that a lot of coastal food has a lot of Arabic influence, but either way, it’s deliciously Kenyan. (Right: Pilau)

Central Kenya is the home of mash up heaven from Githeri; a mixture of maize, beans, potatoes and carrots, Mukimo; mashed potatoes and maize(corn) mixed with pumpkin leaves for the perfect finish, mutura (roasted and stuffed intestine) the Kenyan kebab; it sounds gross but it is delicious with some salt and Kachumbari, it goes down so well.

Western Kenya is home of fish and chicken, not just any chicken but what my friends and I call roadrunner. It is the typical domestically reared chicken, which is normally pretty tough so you need to tenderize it first, but it is delicious. Then there’s fish. I was told growing up that if I ate the fish brain (never seen it all these years) I’d be very smart. Still waiting…to see the fish brain that is. The next time you’re in Western Kenya, make sure you grab some fresh deep fried tilapia with ugali and sukuma wiki (maize meal dish and khales) and eat it by the lake side….to die for!

Northern Kenya, you’ll also be exposed to some great delicacies of fish. Travel around with the nomads and have a gulp of camel milk, or a ‘milkshake’ of blood and milk common amongst nomadic Kenyan communities, or better still try chasing the game for a fresh meal of , yep, you guessed it, roast meat!

There is one household delicacy that Kenyans give credit to our Indian community for and that is the Chapati. It is a ‘Kenyanized’ version of the Indian Nan. The Chapati can be eaten with anything from tea, green grams, chicken, kales, beef, you name it. If you visit down town eating places (better known as vibandas) you’ll get Chapati madondo, which is just Chapati and beans, which will have you singing to the roof with delight!

There’s so much more, from millet porridge, traditional milk like mursik (fermented milk mixed with charcoal), sweet potatoes, and arrow roots. Cultural vegetables like managu, mto, murenda and osuga are a favourite at cultural resturants. Snack heaven delicacies like samosas (deep fried dough pockets filled with any thing from meat, veggies to green grams), mahamri, mandazi, these are all deep fried pastries, njugu karanga (groundnuts) you name it.

The list doesn’t end, try street food, where you can get anything from a regular fruit or a peeled and sliced pineapple, sliced water melons, peeled mangoes on the go, sliced and diced sugar cane, to refresh you on a hot day or just try out some roasted or boiled maize or hey, maybe a boiled egg (fondly called Boiro) with Kachumbari.

Then there’s fast food. The one word synonymous with Kenyan fast food, and I know my country men agree, Kenchic. It is chicken with a crispy and juicy halo. You can get it at supermarkets but the place to soak your gab with Kenchic Chicken’s finesse is at the fast food outlets. The Kenchic slogan says, for those who are kuku about chicken.

Believe me, it is angelically tender, every bite, warms your mouth, and tickles your teeth as it slides to the back of your throat. It leaves your cheeks and chin shiny and soaking up the taste. It’s almost like an out of body experience. Divine is the only English word that comes close to describing it. Oh! Wow! I think it’s time for some Kenchic. You have not had Nairobi fast food until you have had Kenchic chicken. (Left: Kenchic Chicken)

Well as I head out to Kenchic it’s pretty clear, the list of Kenyan delicacies is endless. Whether you want to eat healthy, spoil yourself with street food or just choke your arteries with cholesterol. It’s all here in my home, Kenya.