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Ugali

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Ugali,also known asposho,nsima,papa,pap,sadza,isitshwala,akume,amawe,ewokple,akple,andother names,is a type ofcorn mealmade frommaize or corn flourin several African countries:Kenya,Uganda,Tanzania,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Lesotho,Eswatini,Angola,Mozambique,Namibia,Democratic Republic of the Congo,Malawi,Botswana andSouth Africa,and in West Africa by theEwesofTogo,Ghana,Benin,NigeriaandCote D'Ivoire.[1]It is cooked in boiling water ormilkuntil it reaches a stiff or firmdough-like consistency.[2]In 2017, the dish was added to the UNESCORepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,one of a few foods in the list.[3]

Ugali
Ugali andsukuma wiki(collard greens)
Alternative namesPosho, nsima, akume, Ewokple, akple, amawe
Typestaple
Region or stateWest Africa,East Africaand parts ofSouthern Africa
AssociatedcuisineKenya, Tanzania
Main ingredientsMaize meal(also known as mielie meal, or ground whitemaize)
Similar dishes

Names

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Malawianchildren eating nsima, ndiwo, and masamba
Ugali with beef and sauce

This dish is eaten widely across Africa, where it has different local names:

Etymology

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The wordugaliis anAfricanterm derived fromSwahili;it is also widely known asnsimain Malawian languages such asChichewaandChitumbuka.In parts ofKenya,the dish also goes by the informal name ofsembe or ugali.In Zimbabwe it is known as sadza in Chishona or isitshwala in Ndebele[13]TheAfrikaansname(mielie) papcomes fromDutch,in which the term means "(corn)porridge".

History

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Yawo women preparing ugali for a large gathering

Ugali was introduced in Africa shortly after the Portuguese had introduced maize. Maize was introduced toAfricafrom theAmericasbetween the 16th and 17th centuries. Before this,sorghumandmilletwere the staplecerealsin most ofSub-Saharan Africa.African farmers readily accepted maize as itscultivationwas very similar to that of sorghum but with significantly higher yields. Eventually, maize displaced sorghum as the primary cereal in all but the drier regions. The full replacement of these crops with maize took place in the latter half of the twentieth century.[14]In Malawi, they have a saying 'chimanga ndi moyo' which translates to 'maize is life'.[15]Nshima/nsima is still sometimes made from sorghum flour though it is quite uncommon to find this.Cassava,which was also introduced from the Americas, can also be used to make nshima/nsima, either exclusively or mixed with maize flour. In Malawi nsima made from cassava (chinangwa) is localized to the lakeshore areas, however, when maize harvests are poor, cassava nsima can be found all over the country.[16]

Varieties

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African Great Lakes

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Ugali (when it is cooked as porridge, it is called uji) is served with sweet potatoes, ripe bananas, Irish potatoes and even bread. Solid ugali is usually served with traditional vegetables, stew or sukuma-wiki (also known as collard greens).[17]It is the most commonstaplestarchfeatured in the local cuisines of theAfrican Great Lakesregion andSouthern Africa.When ugali is made from another starch, it is usually given a specific regional name.[18]

The traditional method of eating ugali (and the most common in rural areas) is to roll a lump into a ball with the right hand and then dip it into a sauce or stew ofvegetablesormeat.Making a depression with the thumb allows the ugali to scoop, and wrap around pieces of meat to pick them up in the same way that flatbread is used in other cultures. Leftover ugali can also be eaten with tea the following morning.[19]

Ugali is relatively inexpensive and thus easily accessible to the poor, who usually combine it with a meat or vegetable stew (e.g.,sukuma wikiinKenya) to make a filling meal. Ugali is easy to make, and the flour can last for a considerable time in average conditions.

Ghana

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Tuo zaafi
A woman stirringsagtulga
Tuo zaafiandayoyosoup

Sagtulga(Dagbani: saɣituliga, Hausa:tuo zaafi), ordiehuo,is a popular main dish for the people ofGhana.Sagtulga is a main meal eaten with soupy accompaniments such as okro soup. It is most common in the country's northern regions:Northern,Upper East,andUpper West.The dish is usually eaten for dinner, yet some people (for example, farmers and manual workers) have it for breakfast or lunch. It is usually eaten with blendedCorchorus olitoriusleaves (Dagbani:salinvogu,Hausa:ayoyo,molokai)[20]and okro (Abelmoschus esculentus)[citation needed]with stew on the side.

The dish consists of cooked maize dough with a little dried cassava dough andwaterwithoutsalt.[21]Traditionally, it is prepared withmilletdough,[22]which is indigenous to Ghana's north.[23]

It is mainly eaten with greenvegetable soupmade from bitter leaves, or sometimes freshly pounded cassava leaves. It can be accompanied with a variety of soups, including okra and groundnut soup.

Kenya

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InLuhyaculture, it is the most commonstaple starch,but it is also a key part of Luhya wedding traditions;obusumaprepared from millet (known asobusuma bwo bule) was traditionally included among delicacies on a bride's high table.Obusumacan also be prepared from other starches like sorghum or cassava (obusuma bwo 'muoko).Obusumais commonly served withtsimboka,oretsifwa,eliani(vegetables),inyama(meat),inyeni(fish),thimena(whitebait) oromrere(juteleaves). For distinguished guests or visitors, it is usually served withingokho(chicken).

Eating ugali in Kenya

Ugali is prepared from ground white corn similar to how tamales are made from yellow corn in Central America. In most homes the ugali makes up most of the meal, with vegetables or meat as accompaniments. In wealthier homes, or for special occasions, the ugali is served with abundant savory vegetables and meats in spicy gravy. It resembles mashed potatoes served in American homes. In Kenya, a smidgen of thick ugali is grasped in hand and the thumb is depressed in the center to form a spoon for scooping—a form of edible silverware. While the thumb and fingers may get a bit messy with this method, the way of eating food is culturally significant in the region.

Malawi, Zambia

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Nsima (top right corner) with threerelishes

Nsima is a dish made frommaizeflour (whitecornmeal) and water and is astaple foodinZambia(nsima/ubwali) andMalawi(nsima).[24]

The maize flour is first boiled with water into aporridge,[25]and, in Zambia, left to simmer for a few minutes before it is 'paddled', to create a thick paste with the addition of more flour. This process requires the maker to pull the thick paste against the side of a pot with a flat wooden spoon (nthiko in Malawi, m'tiko/umwiko in Zambia) quickly whilst it continues to sit over the heat. Once cooked the resulting nshima/nsima is portioned using a wooden/plastic spoon dipped in water or coated in oil called a chipande (Malawi), and chipampa (Zambia). In Malawi each of these portions is called a ntanda.[25]

Nsima is always eaten withside dishes,known as "relish". These can be mushrooms such askabansa,tente,chitondo,andichikolowa;proteinsources such as game,beef,poultry,fish,groundnuts (peanuts),chikanda(orchid and peanut dish), beans; andvegetablessuch aspumpkinleaves, bean leaves, white garden eggs known as impwa in Zambia (these are small oblong shaped whitesolanumfruit),amaranthleaves,mustardleaves,cabbage,etc. In Zambia, side dishes are calledndiyoinNyanja/Chewaand umunani inBemba.Ndiwoin Malawi refers to the protein dishes and the vegetable sides are known asmasamba.The protein dishes are usually grilled, or in the form of stew. In both Malawi and Zambia, nsima is often eaten with dried fish (utaka,Malawi) or dried vegetables. Hot peppers or condiments like homemade hot pepper sauces fromperi-periorKambuzichili peppers or commercial chili sauces likeNali Sauceare usually served with the nshima meal.

Traditionally, diners sit around a table or on the floor surrounding the meal. The diners have to wash their hands as nshima/nsima is eaten with bare hands. This is done with a bowl of water. Alternatively the host or one of the younger people present pours water from a jug over the hands of the elders or guests into a bowl. Eating is done by taking a small lump into one's right palm, rolling it into a ball and dipping it into the relish. Using the right thumb to indent the nshima ball is a technique used by advanced nshima diners in order to easily scoop the relish or sauce of the dish. In Zambia,umuto(Bemba language) refers to the drippings/broth/sauce of a side dish or stew; and the act of scooping an ample amount of it with a nshima ball is calledinkondwa.The statement, "umuto wankondwa"loosely translates to" sauce to allow forinkondwa".As with many Africantraditions,age is very important. Washing before the meal, eating, and washing after the meal generally starts with the oldest person, followed by everyone else in turn by age.

Nsima is relatively cheap and affordable for most of the population, although occasionally prices have risen due to shortages, contributing to economic and political instability.

Nigeria

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InNigeria,akamu,ogiorKokohas a consistency similar to that of American pudding.[26]Ogi/Akamu in Nigeria is generally accompanied with "moin moin",abeanpudding,or "akara",which is abeancake. There is also the thicker variety, called Eko among the Yorubas, Agidi among the Igbos. The pudding is cooked on heat until it is thicken. It is traditionally wrapped in leaves with botanical nameThaumatococcus daniellii.[27]Yorubas call itEwe Eranwhile the Igbos call itAkwukwo Elele.[28]It is usually paired with a variety of vegetables soups and sauces for a light meal or it can be eaten with beans or its by products.

South Africa

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Pap,/ˈpʌp/,also known asmieliepap(Afrikaansformaizeporridge) inSouth Africa,is a traditionalporridge/polentaand astaple foodof theAfricanpeoples ofSouthern Africa(the Afrikaans wordpapis taken fromDutchand means merely "porridge") made frommaize-meal(coarsely ground maize). Many traditional Southern African dishes include pap, such as smooth maize meal porridge (also calledslap papor soft porridge), pap with a very thick consistency that can be held in hand (stywe papor firm porridge) and a more dry crumbly phuthu pap (Afrikaans:krummelpap[29]). Phuthu dishes are usually found in the coastal areas of South Africa.[30]

A variety ofsavouriescan be used to accompany pap, made fromgreen vegetables,and flavored withchili.

South Africans in the northern parts of South Africa eat it as thebreakfaststaple, withmilk,butter, andsugar,but also serve it withmeatandtomatostew (usually tomato andonion) at other meals. When they have abraai,Bogobeor "Stywe" (stiff) pap with a savoury sauce like tomato and onion or mushroom is an important part of the meal. Phutu pap is popularly served withboerewors,a combination that later became known aspap en wors(also called "pap en vleis", which can include other braaied or stewed meats).[31]

In theCape Provinceof South Africa, it is almost exclusively seen as a breakfast food. Since mielie-meal is inexpensive, poor people combine it withvegetables.It can be served hot or, after it has cooled, it can befried.Phutu porridge is sometimes enjoyed withchakalakaas a side dish with braais.[32]

In the northern provinces pap is usually soft and made using a fermented maize batter which prevents the pap from spoiling quick due to the fact that northern provinces are much hotter than the south.

A dish of uphuthu (right) served with skop (meat from the head of a cow)

Uphuthu is a South African method of cookingmealie mealwhereby the end product is a finely textured coarse grain-like meal which is typically enjoyed with an accompaniment of vegetables and meat inKwa Zulu NatalandEastern Caperegions of South Africa or as the star of the dish withamasior maas in theGautengregions. Some cultures add sugar to uphuthu and amasi to enjoy it as a sweet treat that would resemble cereal, however the corn-based stable is typically enjoyed as is with amasi.

Phuthu or Uphuthu (/ˈpʊtuː/), also incorrectly spelled as putu or phutu, is a traditional preparation method of maize meal inSouth African cuisine.It is a crumbly or grainy type of pap orporridge,eaten by most cultural groups in South Africa. Phuthu is often eaten with meat, beans, gravy andsour milk.

The texture and consistency of uphuthu is often a deciding factor in what dishes will accompany it. For example, amasi or mass is usually prepared with a more finely-textured phuthu, whereas stews and curries are often served with a more clumped variety, leaning towards stiff-pap. Finely-textured phuthu has a tendency of being severely dehydrated (dry), depending on the cook's skill in working the dish. Such a severely dehydrated phuthu would often be served with stews, leafy vegetables, and many other savoury dishes containing moisture. Conversely, such dehydrated phuthu would not be suited to a dish of amasi or mass, because the steeping or soaking process would result in a paste-like dish, whereas amasi is preferred to be chewy.

Zimbabwe

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A man and a woman cooking Sadza inBotswana(DomboshabaCultural festival 2017)

Sadza inShonaor Isitshwala inisiNdebeleis a cookedmaize mealthat is thestaple foodinZimbabwe.[33]

Sadza is made with finely ground dry maize/cornmaize(mealie-meal). This maize meal is referred to asimpuphuinNdebeleorhupfuin Shona. Despite the fact that maize is an imported food crop to Zimbabwe (c. 1890), it has become the chief source ofcarbohydrateand the most popular meal for indigenous people. Locals either purchase the mealie meal in retail outlets or produce it in a grindingmillfrom their own maize.

Zimbabweansprefer white maize meal. However, during times offamineor hardship, they resorted to eating yellow maize meal, which is sometimes called "Kenya", because it was once imported fromthat nation.Before the introduction of maize, sadza was made frommapfundefinger millet.In recent times, young people in Zimbabwe tend to prefer rice to sadza or isitshwala.[34]The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) National Chairman Tafadzwa Musarara commented that the future working class will be eating less sadza and more of rice and bread as alternatives.[35]

Sadza is typically served on individual plates, but traditionally sadza was eaten from acommunal bowl,a tradition that is still maintained by some families mainly in the rural areas. It is generally eaten with the right hand without the aid of cutlery; often rolled into a ball before being dipped into a variety of condiments such assauce/gravy,sour milk,orstewedvegetables.[36]

Notable foods eaten with sadza include:

Meat is known asnyamain Shona.

Similar dishes

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Similar dishes arepolentafrom northernItaly,gh'omi (ღომი) from Georgia, andgritsin thesouthern United States.

Fufu,a starch-based food from West and Central Africa, may also be made from maize meal, in which case it may be calledfufu corn.In the Caribbean, similar dishes arecou-cou(Barbados),funchi(Curaçao and Aruba), andfunjie(Virgin Islands). It is known asfunchein Puerto Rican cuisine andmayi moulininHaitian cuisine.[37]

Dishes similar to pap includebanku,isidudu,andumngqusho.[citation needed]

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  • Ugali andcabbage
  • Phutu, pictured with tomato-based relish in the foreground
  • A meal of sadza(right),greens, and goatoffal.The goat's small intestines are wrapped around small pieces of large intestines before cooking.
  • Ugali andusipa(small fish), staples of the Yawo people of theAfrican Great Lakes

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^"Ugali - a Kenyan cornmeal".Taste Of The Place.16 October 2017.Retrieved23 August2018.
  2. ^"How to prepare ugali/posho".Yummy.4 May 2015.Retrieved23 August2018.
  3. ^"UNESCO - Nsima, culinary tradition of Malawi".ich.unesco.org.Retrieved26 June2021.
  4. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrMcCann 2009,p. 137.
  5. ^abcTembo, Mwizenge S."Nshima and Ndiwo: Zambian Staple Food".Hunger For Culture.Archived fromthe originalon 24 February 2017.Retrieved18 February2018.
  6. ^"Mealiepap, n." Dictionary of South African English. Dictionary Unit for South African English, 2018.[1]25 February 2019
  7. ^"Kenya Information Guide Home page".Retrieved24 June2013.
  8. ^"Pap, n." Dictionary of South African English. Dictionary Unit for South African English, 2018.[2]25 February 2019.
  9. ^"Putu, n." Dictionary of South African English. Dictionary Unit for South African English, 2018.[3]25 February 2019.
  10. ^"Ugandan food recipes - POSHO (UGALI) – Wattpad".wattpad.Retrieved23 August2018.
  11. ^"Sadza, n." Dictionary of South African English. Dictionary Unit for South African English, 2018.[4]25 February 2019
  12. ^Gough, Amy (2004)."The Chewa".The Peoples of The World Foundation.Retrieved18 February2018.
  13. ^"Tanzanian Ugali / Nguna Recipe".Gayathri's Cook Spot.1 September 2015.Retrieved23 August2018.
  14. ^McCann 2009,p. 139.
  15. ^"Food & Daily life".Our Africa.Retrieved7 May2015.
  16. ^Emma Kambewa (November 2010)."Cassava Commercialization in Malawi"(PDF)(MSU International Development Working Paper). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2016.
  17. ^"Ugali & Sukuma Wiki".Rehema Home.Retrieved6 June2023.
  18. ^"HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT UGALI / Nairobi Kitchen".HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT UGALI / Nairobi Kitchen.15 July 2017.Retrieved19 May2020.
  19. ^App, Daily Nation."Fancy a piece of ugali cake with your tea?".mobile.nation.co.ke.Retrieved29 May2020.
  20. ^"Corchorus olitorius Jew's Mallow, Nalta jute PFAF Plant Database".
  21. ^"Ayoyo soup and tuo zaafi".infoboxdaily.Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2015.Retrieved27 May2015.
  22. ^Webb, L.S. (2000).Multicultural Cookbook of Life-Cycle Celebrations.Cookbooks for Students Series. Oryx Press. p.64.ISBN978-1-57356-290-4.Retrieved2 October2018.
  23. ^"An Introduction to Northern Ghana's Super Foods Shea, Millet & Fonio | Circumspecte".Circumspecte.25 July 2016.Retrieved20 June2017.
  24. ^"Nsima".CooksInfo.Retrieved29 May2020.
  25. ^ab"Nsima: The staple food of Malawi".experiencemalawi.Archived fromthe originalon 6 May 2015.Retrieved7 May2015.
  26. ^Kulp, Karel (28 March 2000).Handbook of Cereal Science and Technology, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded.CRC Press.ISBN978-0-8247-8294-8.
  27. ^"Moi-moi leaf plant prevents kidney, liver damage".The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News.8 November 2018.
  28. ^"Moi-moi leaf plant prevents kidney, liver damage".8 November 2018.
  29. ^"Putu pap / Krummelpap / Crumbly porridge | Rainbow Cooking".
  30. ^"Phutu Recipe (African Maize Flour Porridge)".EpersianFood.7 April 2020.Retrieved29 May2020.
  31. ^"TINK".frankline-ozekhome.squarespace.Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2021.
  32. ^Rosengarten, David (3 October 2012)."Foods of South Africa: The Roots".Wine4Food.Retrieved29 May2020.
  33. ^"Traditional Plain Zimbabwean Sadza Recipe".Ethnic Foods R Us.Retrieved24 May2020.
  34. ^"Students fed up with Isitshwala and cabbage – #Asakhe – CITE".Retrieved24 February2024.
  35. ^"'Young Zimbabweans prefer rice to isitshwala' – #Asakhe – CITE ".Retrieved24 February2024.
  36. ^"Sadza".worldfood.guide.
  37. ^Kadet, Anne (31 July 2018)."New York City's 'Little Haiti' Makes a Big Impression".wsj.Wall Street Journal.Retrieved18 December2023.

General and cited sources

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Further reading

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The following books, set in Zimbabwe, discuss the characters eating the Zimbabwean staple, sadza:

  • Dangarembga, Tsitsi (1988).Nervous Conditions.Ayebia Clark Publishing.is a semi-autobiographical novel focused on the story of a Rhodesian family in post-colonial Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe), during the 1960s.
  • In Douglas Rogers' bookThe Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe(September 2009), Naomi, an elderlyMalawianwoman whom Rogers calls "Mrs. John", brings her husband, John Muranda, the other John, John Agoneka, and Rogers bowls of warm sadza, which Rogers explains "Mrs. John" cooks daily, over a wood fire outside the Murandas' home. (Crown/Random House, LLC, ASIN: B002PXFYIS, Chapter 4, page 23).
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