Authentic Traditional Ugandan Foods – Yummy & So Easy to Make!!

Who knew we would fall in love with traditional Ugandan foods? Although we had no idea what the food would be like in Uganda or what in the world Matoke or Lumonde was, we have not been disappointed! Vegetarian & Meat lovers both have a large menu choice. No problem finding fresh foods here in Uganda!

Traditional Ugandan dish – Matoke

Isaac, a member of one of the largest tribes in Uganda, the Buganda tribe, introduced us to the wonderful world of Matoke or plantain bananas. We have truly been spoiled with the authentic Ugandan foods Isaac has made for us – mashed Matoke with ground nut sauce & Matoke cooked with Irish potatoes – just to name a couple. Since I am a potato girl, the second dish is my favorite but both are really good. If you like meat, you can add but this dish is great just by itself or with Isacc’s homemade onion, cucumber, tomato & carrot salad seasoned with salt & fresh squeezed lemon.

Isaac grew this banana tree on the property & was able to share with us its goodies once the bananas were ready to be picked. Here he has separated the bundle into smaller groups for easier handling.

A little cabbage salad & avocado is the perfect combination for this dish.

G-nuts are simply roasted peanuts, ground w/spices added & cooked until creamy consistency. Easy peasy & you can add your own take of spices. Isaac uses tomatoes, onions & family secrets! If you want to try the dish yourself, I found a pretty easy to follow recipe on YouTube here!

Traditional Ugandan foods has to include Lumonde

Lumonde, also known as sweet potatoes, is reportedly one of the most popular foods across Africa. Lumonde is another traditional Ugandan dish that Ronald, likes to make when showing off his cooking skills. Ronald is a member of the Busoga tribe, the third largest in Uganda and told us that every time he returns to his village his family loves his cooking and asks him to prepare the family meals. Ronald informed us that in his village sweet potatoes have the orange flesh.

There are three major types of sweet potatoes in Uganda, white, yellow and orange flesh. While shopping in the Namuwongo market in Kampala we have mostly seen the white flesh sweet potato ranging in sizes from a regular potato to being as large as a football! These varieties of sweet potatoes look different than what we are use to seeing in U.S. grocery stores – fresh picked sweet potatoes with white flesh vs the orange flesh that we would think of. For a little history on African sweet potatoes, check this out.

Don’t get me wrong…we eat A LOT of vegetables here in Uganda with an occasional meal out with meat, but all in all the food here is really good. I can’t remember the last time I had a meal that was not prepared with fresh garden vegetables & served with fresh squeezed juices. We buy most of our vegetables at the local markets, because they come straight from the garden to the vegetable stand. During our days out we stop at the bigger markets like TMT or Carrefour to purchase things other than fresh vegetables. All in all, all these fresh natural foods fits within our budget, so it’s a win win for us! Happy Travels!