Everything about Ugali totally explained
Ugali (also sometimes called
sima or
posho) is a
cornmeal product and a
staple starch component of many African meals, especially in Southern and East Africa. It is generally made from
maize flour (or ground maize) and water, and varies in consistency from
porridge to a
dough-like substance. When ugali is made from another starch, it's usually given a specific regional name.
The traditional method of eating ugali as a main course (and the most common in the rural areas) is to roll a lump into a ball, and then dip it into a sauce or stew of
vegetables and/or
meat. Making a depression with the thumb allows the ugali to be used to scoop, and to wrap around pieces of meat to pick them up in the same way that flat bread is used in other cultures. Ugali can also be eaten with a spoon or a knife and fork.
Ugali is inexpensive to make and the flour can last for considerable time in average conditions. Also, the crop that produce the corn flour will grow reliably in poor seasons. For these reasons, ugali is an important part of the diet of millions of Africans.
Ugali is similar to
foufou from
West Africa,
pap from
South Africa,
polenta from
Italy and
grits from the southern
United States. It is often served as a part of traditional African meals.
In
Uganda, ugali has several regional names including "posho". In
Kenya it's known as ugali in
Kiswahili and
ngima in
Kikuyu. In
Zambia it's called
nshima,
nsima in
Malawi,
sadza in
Zimbabwe and
pap in
South Africa.
Similarity with other African and Afro-Caribbean foods
In South Africa, cornmeal mush is a staple food called mealie pap; elsewhere in Southern Africa it's called sadza, in Zimbabwe, and nshima, in Zambia, and "Oshifima" or Pap in Namibia. In East Africa a similar dish is called ugali, named from the Swahili language. Fufu, a starch-based food from West and Central Africa, may also be made from maize meal. In the Caribbean, similar dishes are cou-cou (Barbados), funchi (Curaçao) and funjie (Virgin Islands). It is known as funche in Puerto Rican cuisine and mayi moulin in Haitian cuisine.
It is also known as kuon in Luo
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ugali'.
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