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Ugali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ugali is 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 is usually given a specific regional name.
The traditional method of eating ugali as a main course (and the most common in the hinterland) is to roll a lump into a ball with the right hand 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. Firm ugali can also be eaten with a knife and fork.
Ugali is inexpensive to make and the flour can last for considerable time in average conditions. Also, the crops 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". It is known as ugali in Kenya, nshima in Zambia, nsima in Malawi, sadza in Zimbabwe and pap in South Africa. In Tanzania, ugali is so common that chakula (Swahili for food) is used as a synonym.