The African Gourmet

Ugandan Drinks

Author: Twino Photo: USAID

When it comes to beverages, Uganda has it all. Both alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages are found in Uganda. For those who would like to taste Uganda’s beer, Uganda breweries in Kampala and Nile breweries at the source of the Nile, will make your day with their beer varieties. For those who are not allowed to take alcoholic drinks Uganda caters for you too. Coca-Cola and Pepsi cola factories are the top of non alcoholic makers of those dinks. But other small factories are also competing with the big two.

Do you want to taste the traditional beverages? Take heart………….you know Uganda, is composed of many tribes and for that matter every tribe has it traditional drink. If you go deep in the villages in a place like Kabale district of southwest Uganda and you ask for water to drink, people especially old men and women will laugh at you. For them to take water is like a punishment. And if you want to test Uganda traditional alcoholic drinks, ask for any person from any tribe, you will no regret.

If you have never heard of it, get it from me now,….more than ¼ of Uganda is covered by water. Uganda has more than 30 lakes with  lake Victoria one of the biggest Lakes in the world. This means that every corner of Uganda has access to water foods especially fish. If you have never tasted the tropical African fresh fish, then Uganda is the country to come to.

Author: Robert Palmer Photo: T. Brunette
Much of Zanzibar’s population came from the mainland, one group known as Shirazis follows its origins to the island’s early Persian settlers. Non-Africans residing on the mainland and Zanzibar account for 1% of the total population. The Asian community, including Hindus, Sikhs, Shi’a and Sunni  Parsis and Goans, has declined by 50% in the past decade to 50,000 on the mainland and 4,000 on Zanzibar. An estimated 70,000 Arabs and 10,000 Europeans .
Generally, each ethnic group has its own language, but the national language is Swahili,  and another official language is English.   
Also other  tribe found in Tanzania’s include, Zinza,
The Zinza are an ethnic and linguistic group based on the southwest shore of Lake Victoria and neighboring islands in Tanzania.
The Zaramo are a Bantu people who are based in eastern Tanzania, particularly in the area between Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo. In 2000 the Zaramo population was estimated to number 656,730.  
The Zigua are an ethnic and linguistic group based near the Indian Ocean coast between Dar es Salaam and Tanga in Tanzania.
The Yao, is a major ethnic and linguistic group located at  the southern end of Lake Malawi, which played a significant part in the history of east Africa . The Yao are a predominantly Muslim people group of about 2 million spread over three countries, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania and are one of the poorest people groups in the world.
The Sandawe are an agricultural ethnic group based in the Kondoa District of Dodoma Region in central Tanzania. In 2000 the Sandawe population was estimated to number 40,000.  
The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, in east-central Africa. The  language used by Ngoni are Tumbuka, Chewa and Zulu, these are the major Christianity traditional in Tanzania

The Nyanyembe are an ethnic and linguistic group based in northern Tanzania.

Nyiramba is an ethnic group living mainly in Iramba, Singida region in central Tanzania. Their mother tongue is Kinyiramba, though majority can also speak Swahili.

The Manda are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Ludewa District in the Iringa Region of southern Tanzania, along the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, The  population of   Manda was estimated  22,000 recorded  in 2002.

The Matumbi are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Lindi Region in southern Tanzania, on the banks of the Ruvuma River.
The Machinga are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Lindi Region on the southern Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania.
The Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique. They  generated their culture on the Mueda Plateau in Mozambique.  The Makonde population in Tanzania was estimated in 2001 to be 1,140,000, 358.

 Different Regions, Different Styles, Different Tastes

Author: ntjones Photo:G. LaRue

With so many wide and varied coffee producing regions throughout the world it is hard to know what to expect when you buy a coffee from these places. Some of regions rely on small independent farmers to produce the coffee other regions are run by the multinational companies. We are well aware of how famous Java is in the world of coffee, it has now become a second name for coffee. But there a many less well known regions that are producing some of the most outstanding coffee in the world, These beans get their unique flavours and aromas from the way they are grown and processed, for instance some regions in the Americas grown their coffee in the shade, while other prefer their beans to be grown on the slopes of mountains. To name and describe ever region of coffee producing world would take a little longer than I can afford, but they can be broken down into the main regions so you get a general overview of what to expect of the coffees from these regions.

Africa and the Middles East

With Ethiopia being the birth place of coffee Africa has a long history with the Coffee bean and some of the most famous coffees have their origin in African and the Middle East, Mocha Coffee got it’s name from a port in Yemen. Coffee from these regions will always remain popular with each region having its own unique flavours and aromas and this is mostly down to the wide variety of  climates from the desert like regions of the Middle East to the tropical regions of the Cameroon and Kenya. Even though there are many different varieties of African coffee you are always assured of a wonderful cup of coffee.

Everyday African slow cooker soups and stews

Real food from Africa including the well known dish in the photo above, Cowpeas which are called black-eyed peas in the U.S. Cowpeas is one of the most ancient crops in the world and its originated in Western Africa. Cowpeas are an important staple food crop in the semi-arid tropics of Africa and are tolerant of heat and dry weather conditions. Cowpeas originated in West Africa and were then brought to America during the slave trade. Many fruits and vegetables were introduced to America via the slave trade, such as pineapples and the aforementioned cowpeas. Cowpeas are a simple recipe vegans, vegetarians and meat lovers alike can enjoy a trip to Africa from the comforts of home. Broaden your mind and discover African cooking by making everyday African stewed cowpeas for dinner tonight.

The Lozi language, also acknowledged as Silozi and Rozi language is spoken by the Lozi people, total speakers of approximately a half million people.

Lozi (loh-zee) 101
The Bantu language Lozi  is spoken in the African countries of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, and Namibia.
Some common Lozi words are:
1.   Ambile- To Speak
2.    Cali- Shawl
3.     Boi- Shyness
4.     Ciso-Burning
5.     Amo-Tie