FOOD

Folks have asked about African food and what I’ve eaten so far.  I consider all dishes here “African” even if it’s not the local cuisine as everything familiar is a bit different.  For instance, there are several pizza places around town and we've tried two.  The best tip we received is if the menu simply lists "cheese" (or fromage – a lot of French around here) it will be Gouda.  You have to look for a selection that says mozzarella or parmesan.  And hamburgers are beef, but the meat is spiced up a bit (or the beef is really different tasting than American beef). 

Sunday, on our way back from Akagera, we stopped at a restaurant for an African buffet.  They had several cold items: shredded cabbage - red and green, carrots, onions, etc., grilled chicken, beef in a mildly spiced tomato sauce, rice, white beans cooked with onions and carrots, a pea mixture, and bananas cooked with onions and I think eggplant in a mild curry.  The food is not spicy, but we discovered (thanks to the driver who requested it) an oil sauce called Akabanga.  This stuff is liquid fire (Wayne, we’ll bring you home a bottle).  Luckily we were eating lunch with someone local and I watched him put just a few drops on his food so I didn’t douse mine.  It was hotter than wasabi, to give you an idea.

Today we ate lunch at the African Bite in Kigali and below is my plate.  Beginning with the chapati bread on the left we have: shredded carrots/cabbage from the cold platter, carrots and sauce from a chicken dish, the green item is cassava leaves (similar to kale), on top of spiced rice, the first white “blob” is a boiled local sweet potato (as you can see NOT orange and tastes more like a white potato) in front of that is a hunk of ugali or bugali made from maize and water which tastes like hominy but blander.  The pinkish colored mound is peanut sauce over bananas steamed in banana leaves. 

Indian food is very popular here, hence the chapati above.  There are several Indian restaurants in Kigali and most places have an Indian dish or two on the menu.  Other popular items are grilled kabobs (or brochettes) of beef, chicken, pork, fish, and goat or a mix of all.  There is a bit of onion or pepper between the meat and these are usually served with rice. 

Fruit is popular in Rwanda and folks have it with every meal for dessert.  I have now eaten three new fruits, all local and pictured below are two: the tree tomato on the left (or tomacco as Marty called it – if you know your Simpsons episodes) and passion fruit.  (Also in the picture is the Akabanga sauce).  The third is the African banana which just looks like a mini-banana.  The first two are fairly bitter, but tasty, and contain many tiny seeds, but the banana – wow this is wonderful.  It is not quite as sweet as the bananas we know in the states, and has a bit of a tangy taste a little like an apple.  I am really hooked.  I also had the local mango.  Now I’ve never actually liked mangos when I ate them previously, but this one was delish.  Perhaps because it was so fresh.

Dining is a leisurely process in Rwanda.  Unless it’s a buffet, don’t expect dinner to last less than two hours as service is pretty slow.  The most important thing I’ve learned is don’t head out for dinner when you’re already hungry!