Food: The Kenyan diet is based more upon substance than flavor. Traditional dishes include a lot of starches and proteins, with staples such as beans, maize, meat and potatoes. Herbs and spices are not common, and most foods are served with a generous portion of fat (vegetable shortening) and salt. Meat is common and loved by those Kenyans who can afford it, giving carnivorous travelers more options than vegetarians.
Local restaurants called “hotelis” are numerous and can be found in every town or village. The choices on the menus, however, are basically the same and very limited at times. Food in hotelis is quite cheap, and travelers on a budget may to need to frequent these places more than mid-range and hi-end restaurants.
No matter where you eat, though, you will see some of the traditional Kenyan foods. Kenyeji(also called mukimu or irio) is maize and beans inside mashed potatoes, which is then fried in onions. A common staple seen all over Kenya is ugali, a pasty substance made from only white corn meal. It takes quite a while to accustom a taste for ugali, but give it a try. Kenyans eat it with mboga (boiled greens), fish, or nyama choma.
Nyama choma (or “burnt meat” in Kiswahili) is most Kenyan’s favorite dish. It’s goat, sheep, or cow meat barbequed over charcoal. It is sometimes tough, but if you find a good place, it can be quite excellent, especially with a Tusker beer. Organs and other select inards are available upon request. Other types of meat are also common, such as chicke n and fish.
Food from the Coast of Kenya is quite different from that of up-country. Swahili food is loaded with spices and flavors from Asia and the Middle East. Common foods include chapatti (fried bread), samosa (mince meat in a triangle pastry), kebabs, and rice pilau. Although originally from the Coast, these treats are common even in up-country Kenya. As far as foreign foods go, excellent Indian food is available in most cities. Other ethnic food is found only in Nairobi, Mombasa and other big cities.
Other snack foods available are roasted maize on the cob, mandazi (fried doughnut), peanuts, chips, and lots of fresh fruits.
Drinks:
Tea is the official drink of Kenya. Chai is a strong tea with lots of milk and tons of sugar. It is taken in the morning for breakfast, at around 10:30, after lunch, before dinner and after dinner. Guests in any house are offered tea and expected to drink it. Although the best of the tea grown in Kenya is exported, the quality is generally excellent, and after a few cup, you’ll be drinking tea like a Kenyan. A good cup of coffee, however, is very hard to find. All the good Kenyan coffee beans are exported and at most restaurants you will be given instant coffee.
Beer is the second favorite drink of Kenyans. It is socially unacceptable for women in rural areas to drink alcohol, but men everywhere can be seen taking beer at any time of day. Kenyan Breweries Lmt. is the major beer brewer in Kenya, making beers such as Tusker, Pilsner, Tusker Export, Citizen and White Cap. Tusker and Pilsner are the most common, and both are full of flavor and a bit strong ( 4.2% to over 5.2%). The South African company Castle also markets beer in Kenya if you don’t care for the K.B.L. brews. Beers are usually sold in 500 ml bottles, but cans have become more common as of late and are available in most bars. If you are away from major tourist centers, you may be forced to take your beer warm, as Kenyans prefer it.
See the language section for help in ordering food and beverages in Kiswahili.