The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Kenyan Foods. If you manage to be in an Kenyan restaurant or you are visiting Kenya, I recommend the following
1. Prawns Pili Pili
This is a classic Kenyan dish that can be enjoyed as a side dish or as a main course and is sure to please everyone. Made with fresh prawns cooked in garlic and chili oil, served with bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
2. Samosas
They are made of a very thin dough with a spicy flavor, resemble filo pastry and become very crispy when baked. They are usually filled with seasoned vegetables and also include a variety of meats.
3. Sukuma Wiki
It is like a wild cabbage, which looks like spinach on the plate but tastes completely different. Its name means “weekly push” in Swahili, not only because it is a very cheap vegetable, but also because it is simply seasoned with lemon, onion, tomato and sometimes even leftover nyama choma meat. It is really tasty.
4. Mandazi
It is the most popular snack in Kenya. It is a type of bread or baked bread. It is slightly sweet and sometimes sour, making it popular for breakfast or dessert, as well as a midday snack. The dough may contain ingredients such as chopped peanuts or toasted coconut, and the finished bread may be covered in sugar or sweets.
5. Nyama Choma
It is one of Kenya’s most famous dishes, which is important because Kenyans love meat. The word literally means ‘grilled’. It is usually served with basic vegetables known as sukuma wiki (cabbage) and ugali (maize meal). The meat normally used to make nyama choma is beef, but chicken or fish can also be used.
6. Tilapia Fry
It is a very hearty and juicy fish from Lake Victoria, fried when cooked, sometimes grilled, full of flavor and served with local vegetables and tomato salad.
7. Pilau
This is a popular oriental rice that is sometimes cooked and many people use this dish to show off their cooking skills. Rice is used as the base of the dish and beef, chicken or vegetables are added to the broth and spices.
8. Mukimo
Kenyans usually eat it with stews, but it is a perfect vegetarian dish with some vegetable curries.
9. Ugali
It is a hot cornmeal dough. In many cases, it is used to complement some of the heavier dishes we have discussed in this article, but it can also be baked for breakfast for convenience.
10. Matoke
It consists of green plantains that are boiled and mixed with meat, spices and some vegetables. The mash can be eaten on its own or stewed with meat, which can be poultry, beef or pork. Green plantains or mashed plantains are used in many African recipes.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional African Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.