8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes

Uganda is a beautiful country with stunning natural surroundings, a deep and twisted history, and some mouth-watering traditional foods that cannot be missed. So, while you are busy seeing, doing, and experiencing everything Uganda has to offer, don’t forget to eat! There’s a wide variety of 8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes to choose from and Ugandan cuisine is more than just the muchomo (Ugandan BBQ).

Traditional Ugandan food is as complex as it is delicious. So, how will you know what to eat in Uganda? Follow our guide on what to eat, how to eat, and even how to say it, you’ll be feasting like a local in no time!

1. Luwombo – 8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes

Oluwombo or Luwombo is a must try classic true traditional dish of Uganda. However it has now spread across Uganda. It is both a royal dish and a fairly common dish cooked especially during the festive seasons. It is said to have been created in 1887 by the personal chef of Kabaka Mwanga, a king who ruled the kingdom of Buganda at the end of the 19th century. This curry is considered a special dish for many reasons including the way it is wrapped in leaves like a gift and it was served to special people as an on-the-go lunch. Now, this hearty meal is enjoyed by everyone. The dish consists of chicken, beef or fish that is steamed with vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms along with peanut (g-nut) sauce in wrapped plantains.

Chicken Luwombo

2. Matoke – 8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes

Matoke is considered Uganda’s national dish and a staple food in the Ankole region. Matoke also spelled as matooke is a green unripe banana or plantains peeled, steamed and pound in to a meal. However, matoke can also be fried with tomatoes and onions, creating one of Uganda’s most tempting comfort foods. Matoke can be served with popular side dishes like peanuts, fish, beans, beef, peas, chicken, and special local sauces. It may sound like a strange mixture, but the irresistible sweet and spicy combination works.

steamed matooke

3. Posho – 8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes

Posho’ is one of Uganda’s most popular foods also known as ugali in Kenya. The main ingredient in Posho is made from cornmeal or maize flour and millet flour mixed with cassava flour also known as ‘kalo’ common in the western, eastern and northern Uganda. It is mingled using hot water and it can be served with very many sauces like beans and beef to mention but a few. How irresistible does that sound?

Posho Served with Greens vegetables

4. Muchomo

Muchomo is originally roasted meat, the word is derived from the Swahili word “choma” which means roasted and Muchomo can often be made from beef, however, the Ugandan variety includes chicken, goat and sometimes pork. You’ll find these meat portions everywhere, barbecued on a stick and served at rugby pitches, roadside stalls, markets and even in fancy restaurants. Often accompanied by roasted sweet plantains (known as Gonja) which can also be enjoyed as a snack on its own.

Chicken Muchomo – Road Side

5. TV Chicken – 8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes

“Why is it called TV Chicken?” I guess that’s the first question you may have, well the name is so called because of the way it is prepared. The spicy chicken dish is roasted in a make-shift rotisserie oven that resembles a television. This is a very popular meal and available almost everywhere in Uganda from street-side vendors and restaurants. Often served with salads, smoked bananas, and French fries. The best places for TV chicken are Wandegeya Market and Ntinda shopping centre. The vendors get cracking from about 5pm every day.

6. Katogo – 8 Must Try Ugandan Local Dishes

A Ugandan breakfast is incomplete without the appearance of the traditional Ugandan spicy dish known as Katogo. This high-quality meal is a combination of fried plantains served with beef, offal’s, beans, soup and vegetables.  Some people may prepare this food with variations that include rice, spaghetti, Irish potatoes, greens and cassava. Katogo can also be enjoyed at anytime of the day, though considered unconventional to the rest of the world, a heavy breakfast is like this, is most popular in Uganda and a great hangover remedy just in case you’ve been exploring the nightlife.

Matooke Mixed With Beef

7. Groundnut Sauce

If there’s a chill in the air then a meal of Gnut sauce is highly recommended. This creamy, rich, thick, and hearty dish has a likeness to stew; but it’s not. Gnut sauce is made from sweet red peanuts and served with meals as a condiment.  Slow cooked until all the flavors are perfectly blended, there is no other traditional Ugandan food quite like this. It can also be cooked when mixed with roasted fish, mushrooms or pieces of meat and served with steamed mashed plantains, cassava and sweet potatoes. There is no buffet in Uganda that doesn’t include this delicious sauce and with good reason!

8. Rolex

This Rolex in one of Uganda’s must try foods, originated from eastern Uganda in Busoga and became popular in the whole country since it is a fast food/snack and can be eaten anytime. Found cheap and readily available at most roadside stalls. The original yummy snack is an omelet combined with cabbage, onions, tomatoes and it is rolled in a chapatti. It’s also possible to find variations of Rolex especially during the Rolex festival that is held annually, which include the addition of green peppers, carrots, chicken or avocado and many more. You can also find these Rolex variations at ‘The Rolex Guy’ in Entebbe opposite UMEME.