Ugali

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,BotswanaandSouth Africa, and in West Africa by theEwesofTogo,Ghana,Benin,NigeriaandCote D'Ivoire.It is cooked in boiling water ormilkuntil it reaches a stiff or firmdough-like consistency.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.
This dish is eaten widely across Africa, where it has different local names:
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 NdebeleTheAfrikaansname(mielie) papcomes fromDutch, in which the term means "(corn)porridge".
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.In Malawi, they have a saying 'chimanga ndi moyo' which translates to 'maize is life'.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.
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).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.
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.
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.
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)and okro (Abelmoschus esculentus)with stew on the side.
The dish consists of cooked maize dough with a little dried cassava dough andwaterwithoutsalt.Traditionally, it is prepared withmilletdough,which is indigenous to Ghana's north.
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.
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).
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.
Nsima is a dish made frommaizeflour (whitecornmeal) and water and is astaple foodinZambia(nsima/ubwali) andMalawi(nsima).
The maize flour is first boiled with water into aporridge,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.
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.
InNigeria,akamu,ogiorkokohas a consistency similar to that of American pudding.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 and agidi among the Igbos. The pudding is cooked on heat until it is thick. It is traditionally wrapped in leaves with botanical nameThaumatococcus daniellii.Yorubas call itewe eranwhile the Igbos call itakwukwo elele.It is usually paired with a variety of vegetable soups and sauces for a light meal or it can be eaten with beans or their byproducts.
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). Phuthu dishes are usually found in the coastal areas of South Africa.
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,bogobeorstywe(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).
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.
In the northern provinces pap is usually soft and made using a fermented maize batter, which prevents the pap from spoiling quickly given that northern provinces are much hotter than the south.
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 inKwaZulu-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.
Sadza inShonaor isitshwala inisiNdebeleis a cookedmaize mealthat is thestaple foodinZimbabwe.
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.The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) National Chairman Tafadzwa Musarara commented that the future working class will be eating less sadza and more rice and bread as alternatives.
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.
Notable foods eaten with sadza include:
Meat is known asnyamain Shona.
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.
Dishes similar to pap includebanku,isidudu, andumngqusho.
The following books, set in Zimbabwe, discuss the characters eating the Zimbabwean staple, sadza: