About the dish
Ugali is a thick porridge of maize flour cooked in water and stirred so long and so vigorously that it turns into a firm mass that pulls away from the sides of the pot. On its own it tastes mild – its job is to accompany other dishes. It is eaten by hand: you pinch off a piece, roll it into a ball in your palm, press a dip into it with your thumb and use it to scoop up stew, beans, braised greens or fish in sauce. It goes by different names from country to country and may be made from cassava, sorghum or millet, but the principle stays the same.
Main ingredients
- white maize flour
- water
Botswana: Called pap in Botswana; the traditional sorghum porridge is known as bogobe.
Burundi: Called ubugali in Burundi, usually made from cassava flour and served with beans or isombe.
DR Congo: Called bugali in the east (Kivu, Katanga), made from maize or mixed maize and cassava flour; in the west fufu takes its place.
Kenya: The base of everyday meals in Kenya; called ngima in Kikuyu and kuon in Luo.
Lesotho: Called papa in Lesotho and eaten daily with moroho greens.
Malawi: Called nsima in Malawi, the basis of almost every meal, eaten with ndiwo relishes.
Mozambique: Called xima in Mozambique.
Namibia: Eaten as maize pap in Namibia, and in the north as oshifima made from mahangu pearl millet.
Rwanda: Called ubugari in Rwanda and often made from cassava flour rather than maize.
South Africa: Called pap or mieliepap in South Africa; the crumbly version is krummelpap, or uphuthu in isiZulu.
Tanzania: Eaten throughout Tanzania; in some regions it is also made from cassava or sorghum flour.
Uganda: Usually called posho in Uganda, where maize flour is known as kawunga in Luganda.
Zambia: Called nshima in Zambia, without which a meal is not considered complete.
Zimbabwe: Called sadza in Zimbabwe (isitshwala in Ndebele).
More: Wikipedia (pl) Wikipedia (en)
