The Republic of Uganda is a country in East Africa with a non-partisan political system.
The official languages are English and Swahili. In 1894 it became a British protectorate and remained so until 1962, the year of independence. The delicate balance between the king of Buganda, the first President of the country, and his prime minister lasted little, and already in 1968 there was an assault with the presidential palace army. Thus began a turbulent period that ended only in 1988 with the signing of a peace agreement.
Despite significant progress in the respect of human rights, Uganda remains one of the countries under the most humanitarian scrutiny mainly due to the conflict in the northern part of the country where over 30,000 minors have been torn from their families and forcibly recruited or enslaved since the start of the war.
The cuisine of Uganda is a mix of English, Arab, Asian and Indian influences.
The national dish of Uganda is Matoke, where the matoke (that is, plantain) is first boiled and then sautéed in clarified butter with onions, fresh cilantro and chili pepper.
Matoke is a variety of native bananas from the southwest of Uganda, which extends into Rwanda and Burundi.
It is the country’s staple food and is normally used as a cooking banana; for this reason it is referred to as plantain.
It is cooked while still unripe and green. Matoke can be boiled with or without the peel, roasted in the peel, or peeled and then steamed.
When boiled and mashed alone or stewed with meat, it forms part of the national dish.
The traditional preparation involved first peeling the plantains, then wrapping them in the leaves of the tree itself and subsequently boiling them inside a pot called a “sufuria” for at least 2 hours (see photo below).
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: African
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 7 green plantains (matoke)
- 1 tablespoon clarified butter
- to taste lemon juice
- 5 cups meat broth
- 2 onions
- to taste fresh cilantro
- to taste chili pepper
Preparation
Peel the plantains, cut them into pieces and immerse them for a few minutes in warm water (into which you previously squeezed the lemon).
Sauté the clarified butter together with the finely chopped onions for about 3 minutes and add the fresh cilantro and chili pepper. The onions should not become too browned, so it is important to stir them over medium heat throughout the first part of cooking.
Place the plantains on the sofrito and add 3 cups of broth (preferably meat broth) and cook everything for about 30 minutes, until the contents reach a uniform consistency; then add another 2 cups of broth and cook for another 30 minutes.
Then roughly mash it and serve hot with added fresh cilantro, accompanied by meat—usually chicken—and/or a peanut butter sauce.
If you want to learn more about the history of Uganda, you can find here an interesting book: “Health and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa. History, Politics and Narratives of the Health System in Ghana and Uganda” priced at €14,25.
