episode 133
Sunset, Moonlight, Cassava & Community
with Sophie Musoki of
A Kitchen in Uganda
Introduction
Welcoming Sophie to the podcast today. She’s speaking with us from Uganda, where she writes the blog A Kitchen in Uganda and hosts a podcast titled Our Food Stories.
Sophie takes us with her to the communal gatherings she enjoyed by sunset and moonlight at the communal pestle, where women took turns pounding cassava, prepared dinner, and large extended families ate together in the moonlight. We'll learn from her all about the Casssva plant, Kabalagala bananas, and the pancakes her mother made and she sold to passersby for just a cent or two.
After hearing these stories, it's easy to understand the urgency she feels to perserve her food memories - and to learn about the food traditions of fellow Ugandans - through her blog and podcast. Conversations with her parents have convinced Sophie that Ugandan's food heritage is under threat by the forces of technology, modernization, globalization, religion, and vestiges of colonization.
Furthermore, Uganda is a country of tribes. The borders are abitrary (well, not quite arbitrary - she discusses how they were formed) and separate tribes from fellow tribe members while tossing together people groups with little culture or language in common. So, Sophie’s second goal in starting her podcast was to learn more about the food cultures of different tribes within her own country.
Sophie’s voice is gentle and melodic and in this interview, she taught me many things in the same way - with gentleness and thoughtfulness. I’m so delighted to introduce her to you today.
Highlights
- Seasons in Uganda - historically and currently
- All about Kabalagala (Apple bananas)
- Cassava flour - how to make it from planting the Cassava through pounding
- Cassava flour - NOT native to Uganda (introduced in
- 50 tribes in Uganda - learn about Sophie’s
- The evening tradition in Sophie’s village
- Making ?? the recipe that’s a huge ball
- Making Kabalagala pancakes and selling them for 1 or 2 cents - beautiful memories
- Buying Kabalagala from a street vendor herself many years later
- Why Ugandans identify more with their tribes than their country - a legacy of Colonization
- “I may meet another Ugandan and not even be able to communicate with them”
- Why she started her podcast to connect with other Ugandans and their cooking
- “I can tell you the capital of Tennessee but I can’t tell you about my own region.”
- How technology, religion, and globalizaton threaten the memory/knowledge of her food culture
Listen Now
Also listen on:
How To Contact Sophie
Instagram: @akitcheninuganda
Pinterest: @akitcheninug
Facebook: A Kitchen in Uganda
Website: akitcheninuganda.com
Youtube: A Kitchen in Uganda
How to make Kabalaga pancakes: Video on Sophie's blog, A Kitchen in Uganda
Episode of Sophie’s podcast featuring Cassava preservation: EKilobeko
This Episode's Storied Recipe
Recipe Shared by Sophie Musoki
Kabalagala: Vegan Cassava Flour & Banana Pancakes
Delicious Kabalagala Banana Pancakes are an egg-free, dairy-free vegan pancake made in Uganda using cassava flour and small, tart apple bananas.
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