9 bizarre Kenyan foods

Of all the senses in all the world, God saw fit that nobody should be denied taste unless in very unique conditions. Food is the one thing we can all unilaterally enjoy. But much like colour, taste in food is also quite varied.

For instance, what is one man’s favourite is another’s absolute worst. I can’t stand white chocolate. It literally makes me sick, but it’s nearly everyone’s favourite.

When it comes to Kenyan cuisine, diversity is our queen. With 42 tribes and sub tribes that range in the hundreds, our local foods can be as different as stars and torchlight. But there are some that are just- odd. Seriously. How did they even come up with the recipes?

Mutura

It is a “sausage” made of offal and stuffed with blood and herbs. The traditional one isn’t even properly washed to maintain a unique bittersweet taste. The more modern chakula mwitu one is made with ground beef.

Mursik

This is a divisive one. Others swear by it the way high schoolers swear by bread. Made by fermenting milk by adding charcoal to it, I’m sorry but that just goes in my bizarre pile.

Matumbo

There is just something unnerving about eating the stomach lining of a herbivore.

Blood

No, no- Kenyans aren’t vampiric. At least that I know of. But the Maasai have turned cow’s blood into a delicacy. And even go as far as mixing it with milk.

Termites

This is popular in all of Uganda as well and is commonly done by the Luhyia. I’m not actually sure if they’re termites but their Swahili term is kumbikumbi. They’re those flying missiles that come out after the rain. They are eaten raw, fried, stewed- honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if there was even a Popsicle.

Ithabai (ithafai)

The stinging nettle herb is a popular one among health freaks and herbalists in training. The plant stings when caught in hand. Why that would transfer into thoughts of drinking it is anyone’s guess.

Millet ugali

It’s brown ugali. Tastes like solidified porridge.

Ndunderu

The mzungu calls it black pudding. It is basically a giant mutura only instead of being made with an intestine, it’s made with a stomach.

Monkeys

The Tiriki of Western Kenya partake in this- er, delicacy.