Ugali: the polenta of Kenya!

UGALI: everyone in Kenya talks about Ugali. I think it is an obsession comparable to the one Brits have for the weather and Italians for food in general.

Ugali is the traditional Kenyan food. A mix of maize flour and water that solidifies by boiling and assumes a sticky, soft consistency that can be shaped into a ball. Very similar to Italian polenta - with the difference that Ugali is cooked for much less time - maybe 20 minutes?, that maize in Kenya is white and not yellow, and that stirring it is real hard job - much harder than with polenta.

Ugali is what in Italian we would call a "companatico", a kind of side dish to be eaten with vegetables or meat. But Ugali is also, and especially, the main dish. Ugali is, exactly as polenta for my ancestors in the Italian Alps, a staple food. A food that is cheap, easy to make, not elaborated or requiring many ingredients. Especially, a filling food that can make up energies for the all day.

Kenyans are obsessed with Ugali. It is one of the first things they ask you if they see you are new in the country: "did you try Ugali? Its very good!". And contrite faces of disappointment if you didn't.

I often have the feeling that Ugali is (one of) the pillar of this nation. Not only because it feeds cheaply many people, but also because when shared, it is the food of the welcomes, of the greetings, and a symbol of friendship! It is amusing to see Kenyans so proud of something so simple.

Tonight, I made Ugali with Joy, my host in Kenya. Here some pics of what it did look like: 

Ugali has many variants (ahah, how funny to use this word to describe types of food and not Covid variants!): it is widely diffused in all East Africa, under many different names.

People still think that Ugali must be cooked on firewood or charcoal - because, they say, when cooked on gas Ugali doesn't taste the same. To be honest, it is exactly the same thing we think about polenta and I am proudly convinced is just about traditions...

 But let's discuss this another time. This is the main topic of my PhD, so I should probably reserve a more structured post to it! 😉