I don’t know the best way to describe food (ibiryo) in Rwanda. I guess that most accurate description would be that it lacks variety and is very carb-y and starch-y.
Breakfast typically consists of tea and bread (or if you’re lucky like my classmates you get hotdog buns). Sometimes there’s fresh fruit, avocados, and eggs. Oh and sometimes…MANDAZI (the African version of doughnuts, the second picture).
Lunch is typically eaten at a local restaurant. The buffet options always includes: umuceri (rice), ibishyimbo (beans), chips (french fries), matoke (plantains), sombe (manioc: smashed leaves of cassava or yucca), ubugali (porridge like dish made from cassava roots), Irish potatoes, nyama (meat; usually beef or goat), and sausi (sauce). At one of my favorite buffets, they also serve mushroom soup with a broth consistency, fresh bread, fresh fruit, and pasta salad. Lunch buffets cost around 1200-3000 RWF (~1.97-4.94 USD).
Dinner (read my absolute favorite meal of the day) is AMAZING. Mostly because my family has an AMAZING chef! The dishes are pretty much the same as lunch but the food tastes 1 million times better and there is more variety. Dishes include: rice (sometimes with green beans and carrots mixed in), meat (fried fish, chicken, or beef! YAY for protein!), sauce, potatoes, veggies (peas, carrots, belgians which are green eggplants, mixed leafy greens, or salad), and my favorite dish MATOKE in sauce! Home is my def. my favorite place to eat!
Also, chicken here taste very different and I am not a fan. So in order to get protein sometimes I eat beef at my house and eat a lot of macadamia nuts. Lately, I have not been feeling very hungry. I think the monotony of the food has gotten to me and my appetite. So every Thursday, my classmates and I have a dinner night at the only American-like fast food establishment (Mr.Chips) in Kigali.
Mealtimes are really different here also. This took a little bit of time for me to get accustomed to. Breakfast is around 6-7:30 am. Lunch is typically anytime between 12-2. Dinner is 9-10. There is at least 6-8 hours between dinner and lunch and most people do not eat snacks! [insert GIRL WHAT?! face here] Without eating snacks and doing so much walking…I realized I was starting to get really HANGRY (hungry + angry)! So I usually keep pringles, fresh fruit, nuts, or biscuits (cookies) on me at all times.
random cultural note about eating in Rwanda: it is unacceptable to eat while walking down the street. Unless of course, you enjoy being glared at. As one of my Rwandan friends said, “why would any respectable person eat on the street?” O_o
I know this sounds like I hate eating here but that is not true. Like any relationship we have our ups and downs. I really really really enjoy the fact the majority of the food I consume is locally grown, that I have home cooked meals every night, fresh fruit is available everywhere, avocados are absolutely amazing here!, and when I do not feel like eating a huge meal I can always find ROLEX (chapati and omlette!). Also, I should note that there are a few restaurants that serve other cuisines (but no Mexican food).
Breakfast typically consists of tea and bread (or if you’re lucky like my classmates you get hotdog buns). Sometimes there’s fresh fruit, avocados, and eggs. Oh and sometimes…MANDAZI (the African version of doughnuts, the second picture).
Lunch is typically eaten at a local restaurant. The buffet options always includes: umuceri (rice), ibishyimbo (beans), chips (french fries), matoke (plantains), sombe (manioc: smashed leaves of cassava or yucca), ubugali (porridge like dish made from cassava roots), Irish potatoes, nyama (meat; usually beef or goat), and sausi (sauce). At one of my favorite buffets, they also serve mushroom soup with a broth consistency, fresh bread, fresh fruit, and pasta salad. Lunch buffets cost around 1200-3000 RWF (~1.97-4.94 USD).
Dinner (read my absolute favorite meal of the day) is AMAZING. Mostly because my family has an AMAZING chef! The dishes are pretty much the same as lunch but the food tastes 1 million times better and there is more variety. Dishes include: rice (sometimes with green beans and carrots mixed in), meat (fried fish, chicken, or beef! YAY for protein!), sauce, potatoes, veggies (peas, carrots, belgians which are green eggplants, mixed leafy greens, or salad), and my favorite dish MATOKE in sauce! Home is my def. my favorite place to eat!
Also, chicken here taste very different and I am not a fan. So in order to get protein sometimes I eat beef at my house and eat a lot of macadamia nuts. Lately, I have not been feeling very hungry. I think the monotony of the food has gotten to me and my appetite. So every Thursday, my classmates and I have a dinner night at the only American-like fast food establishment (Mr.Chips) in Kigali.
Mealtimes are really different here also. This took a little bit of time for me to get accustomed to. Breakfast is around 6-7:30 am. Lunch is typically anytime between 12-2. Dinner is 9-10. There is at least 6-8 hours between dinner and lunch and most people do not eat snacks! [insert GIRL WHAT?! face here] Without eating snacks and doing so much walking…I realized I was starting to get really HANGRY (hungry + angry)! So I usually keep pringles, fresh fruit, nuts, or biscuits (cookies) on me at all times.
random cultural note about eating in Rwanda: it is unacceptable to eat while walking down the street. Unless of course, you enjoy being glared at. As one of my Rwandan friends said, “why would any respectable person eat on the street?” O_o
I know this sounds like I hate eating here but that is not true. Like any relationship we have our ups and downs. I really really really enjoy the fact the majority of the food I consume is locally grown, that I have home cooked meals every night, fresh fruit is available everywhere, avocados are absolutely amazing here!, and when I do not feel like eating a huge meal I can always find ROLEX (chapati and omlette!). Also, I should note that there are a few restaurants that serve other cuisines (but no Mexican food).
