I feel like I haven’t cooked from an African country in a while, so it was a nice change to return and cook food from Rwanda. African countries are often some of the most difficult (along with island countries) because a lot of countries share the same dishes. It’s hard finding something that really just belongs to the country I am working on. Although I tried my best here, I know there is overlap with other countries.
Rwanda is a small landlocked country in East Africa. It is made up of lots of mountains in the west and a savanna to the southeast, and contains many lakes throughout.
Rwanda was settled by hunter-gatherers starting in the Stone Age (which began nearly 3 million years ago). Later, the Bantu people arrived, first forming clans and then kingdoms. In the 15th century, one of these kingdoms incorporated several neighboring territories to form the Kingdom of Rwanda.
The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated the area for a while under the leadership of kings from the Tutsi ethnic group. This lasted until 1897 when Germany colonized the country and it became part of German East Africa. During World War I, Belgium took control. Both nations ruled through the Rwandan king during this time and continued a pro-Tutsi policy that was in place.
In 1959, another ethnic group known as the Hutu revolted and established an independent republic. The years that followed saw a military coup and a civil war which resulted in a genocide against the Tutsi people.
Rwanda has since been governed as a one-party state, with a series of authoritarian governments. It has relatively low levels of corruption compared to its neighbors but still ranks low internationally. Almost half the population lives in poverty.
The economy is mostly based on subsistence agriculture, with coffee and tea as major exports.
What Do People Eat in Rwanda?
Rwanda is similar to other African countries in the area when it comes to food. Most people eat what they can grow themselves or otherwise obtain locally.
The country’s cuisine is based on local staples including bananas, plantains, pulses, sweet potatoes, beans, cassava, and lots of vegetables.
Meat is popular (beef, chicken, and goat being the most common), and people who live near Rwanda’s lakes enjoy fish such as tilapia.
What I Made
- Lamb Brochettes (Grilled Lamb Skewers)
- Igisafuliya (Chicken and Vegetable Stew)
- Akabenzi (Dry-Fried Pork and Vegetables)
- Isombe (Stewed Greens)
Scroll down to read about other popular Rwandan dishes I didn’t make!
Lamb Brochettes (Grilled Lamb Skewers)
Brochettes are a popular dish all across Africa; they consist of chunks of meat that are threaded onto skewers and grilled. I chose to make my brochettes with lamb, but beef or goat would also be common options.
I began by making a marinade for my lamb. I blended tomato paste, onion, garlic, and olive oil, then seasoned with salt and pepper and coated chunks of lamb leg with the mixture. I let it sit for about an hour.
Meanwhile, I cut up some potatoes, which I coated in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I started them roasting in the oven. After they had been in the oven for about 25 minutes, I threaded the lamb onto metal skewers and put them in the oven too.
The final component was the sauce. I had reserved some of the lamb marinade in a saucepan, and to that I added diced tomato. I brought the mixture to a simmer and added parsley, and continued to let it simmer while the lamb and potatoes were in the oven.
I served the brochettes with the roasted potatoes and some of the sauce on the side. I cooked my lamb medium-rare, which is how I like it, and it was delicious! The sauce was good too. I’d make this again because it was pretty easy and it made great leftovers for lunch the next day.
The recipe I used is from African Bite.
Igisafuliya (Chicken and Vegetable Stew)
This is a stew that gets most of its flavor from chicken and vegetables simmered together. I was a little skeptical that it would be any good without herbs and spices (the only spice here was black pepper) but I didn’t have a lot to choose from this week so I decided to give it a try.
I began by seasoning chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browning them in oil. Then, I removed the chicken from the pan and added onions, leeks, and green bell peppers. When the onion turned translucent, I added tomatoes, celery, and tomato paste, and returned the chicken to the pan.
Here, I was meant to add plantains. However, I could not find any green plantains at the grocery store; they were all ripe and I hate ripe plantains. So I used potato instead—not the same, but still a starch. I stirred in chunks of potato and added enough water so that everything was just covered. Then, I put the lid on and let the mixture simmer until the chicken and potatoes were cooked through.
I stirred in some spinach and let it wilt, then seasoned with more salt and pepper before serving.
I can’t say this was a particularly exciting stew, but it did taste good. It was very healthy too, so that’s a bonus!
This recipe is from Together Women Rise.
Akabenzi (Dry-Fried Pork and Vegetables)
The main component of this dish is pork, which is fried, then tossed with seasonings and often vegetables too.
I began by simmering chunks of pork shoulder in water with salt, pepper, and thyme until just tender. Meanwhile, I fried some potato pieces. Like in the previous dish, I was supposed to use plantains but couldn’t get any green ones, so I thought potatoes would be a good substitute. Once the potato was cooked through, I added the cooked pork to the pan to get crispy.
Next, in a separate pan, I sautéd red onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and tomato paste. I added the pork as well as salt, pepper, MSG, and a little soy sauce. Finally, I stirred through the fried potato and some tomato. After a minute or two, I removed the pan from the heat and it was ready to serve.
The recipe called for a whole habanero too, but I wasn’t sure what it would achieve in a dish like this, since I didn’t see it imparting any flavor without being submerged in liquid. Maybe it’s to eat whole! I’m not sure. But I didn’t include it.
I really liked this dish; the pork was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, and the flavor was very good.
This dish is from Cook with Claire Mbabazi on YouTube. The video is not in English and YouTube thinks it’s in Russian when I try turning on English captions. Since I’m quite sure it’s not Russian, this doesn’t work. Still, I found the video easy enough to follow.
Isombe (Stewed Greens)
Isombe is popular in lots of African countries in the area, and I have even made it before, for Burundi. However, I decided to make it again since it was one of the most suggested dishes by Rwandans on Reddit when I asked what I should make. I chose a different recipe this time, but it still isn’t very authentic since this dish is meant to be made with cassava leaves and I used spinach. Isombe can also include meat, but I stuck with vegetables (though it still was not vegetarian since I used beef stock).
I began by sautéing leeks and green bell peppers, then I stirred in some water, beef Better Than Bouillon, salt, and pepper. Then, I added peanut butter. The recipe called for ground peanuts but I did not want to get my spice grinder out to grind a small amount of peanuts, so I thought the peanut butter would be a good substitute. I added the spinach, and when it had wilted, my isombe (or isombe-like dish) was ready to serve.
This was alright; I think I had too much liquid though. To be honest, I also think I would prefer a meat version!
The recipe I used here is from this Reddit post.
Other Popular Rwandan Dishes
- Ugali – probably the common staple in Rwanda, usually a stiff porridge made from corn flour but it can also include cassava flour.
- Agatogo – a stew made from plantains and vegetables; it can also include meat.
Final Thoughts
This was a pretty good week! My favorite dish was the akabenzi but I also really enjoyed the brochettes, probably just because I love lamb so much.
You may have noticed this post was a little late—I’ve just been busy. And honestly, I’ve also been feeling a little tired of this challenge lately. It’s not that I don’t want to continue, but more that I would like to just cook what I want to eat for a change. I don’t have much time for that while doing this challenge and working full-time.
I want to make it clear that I am definitely not quitting! It would be silly to quit when I have come so far, and I do still find it an interesting journey. But from now on, these posts may be a little more sporadic.
Next time, I will be cooking food from Saint Kitts and Nevis.