Ugandan cuisine consists of traditional and modern cooking styles, practices, foods and dishes in Uganda, with English, Arab, and Asian (especially Indian) influences.
Many dishes include various vegetables, potatoes, yams, bananas and other tropical fruits.
Chicken, pork, fish (usually fresh, but there is also a dried variety, reconstituted for stewing),[1] beef and goat[1] are all commonly eaten, although among the rural poor, meats are consumed less than in other areas, and mostly eaten in the form of bushmeat. Nyama is the Luganda language word for "meat".
Main dishes are usually centred on a sauce or stew of simsim, groundnuts, beans or meat. The starch traditionally comes from posho (maize meal) or matooke (steamed and mashed green banana) in the central or kalo (an ugali dish[1] made from millet) in the north, east and west. Posho or millet is cooked as a porridge for breakfast.
For main meals, white maize flour is added to the saucepan and stirred into the posho until the consistency is firm. It is then turned out onto a serving plate and cut into individual slices (or served onto individual plates in the kitchen). Cassava, yam,[1] and African sweet potato are also eaten; the more affluent include white (often called "Irish") potato and rice in their diets. Soybeans were promoted as a healthy food staple in the 1970s and this is also eaten, especially for breakfast. Chapati, similar to Asian flatbreads, are also part of Ugandan cuisine.
Various leafy greens are grown in Uganda. These may be boiled in the stews, or served as side dishes in fancier homes. Amaranth (dodo), nakati, and borr are examples of regional greens. Fruits such as mangoes, bananas and pineapples[1] are plentiful and commonly consumed, whether cooked in foods or eaten alone as snacks or as a dessert.
Some traditional and historic Ugandan foods include:
Tea (chai) and coffee (kawa) are popular beverages and important cash crops. These can be served English-style or spiced (chai masala). Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Fanta have all made inroads in the Ugandan market and soft drinks have become very popular. Both traditional and Western beers are probably the most widely available alcoholic beverages across Uganda.
Pombe and lubisi are generic words for locally made fermented beer, usually from banana or millet. Fermented banana wine[1] is also prepared and consumed. Tonto is a traditional fermented drink made from bananas.
Waragi is the generic term for distilled spirits and these also vary, see for example Uganda Waragi, a brand name for clear or yellow gin.