As usual in developing countries, the historic scarcity of resources on the people's hands has hindered the maturation of a quality cuisine with its own personality. Apart from some popular dishes, quite rustic in their elaboration, Kenyan gastronomy has been mainly made up of Asian and European contributions. The Swahili cuisine at the coast, the only traditional cooking in the country, is a mixture of Arab and Hindu influences. Some of the typical dishes, in addition to the few vegetarian recipes, are actually Hindu specialties adapted to the local ingredients. The British influence is patent in all the gastronomic habits.

Meat is the star of Kenyan cooking, mainly beef, veal, goat and lamb, and to a lesser extent pork and chicken. The Elmolo lamb is specially famous. In rural areas, poached game unfortunately makes a sporadic meal. Meat is stewed or grilled and is usually garnished with potatoes, rice or vegetables. The most popular meat dish is nyama choma, which in Swahili means "roast meat".

Kebabs are also very popular, imported from the Arab cuisine but adapted to the local raw materials.

Sausages are made with veal, as a result of pork scarcity and the Islamic rejection of this animal's meat.

Ugali, imported from Uganda, is the most popular food. It consists of boiled corn flour balls, with a texture similar to bread. Sometimes the dough is mixed with butter, cheese or milk to make it more tasty. The balls must be eaten hot, garnished with vegetables and pieces of stewed meat.

Fish is much less frequent than meat, except in coastal areas. Freshwater fish is more popular, especially tilapia and Nile perch. Trouts are captured in the mountain rivers and served in the surrounding regions. At the coast you will find quality seafood, but be careful when choosing where to order it.

Samosas, originated in India, are small dough rolls stuffed with spiced meat or vegetables and fried. Some drops of lime juice are finally added. The dough preparation is very laborious, so ready-made dough is sometimes used.

Chapatis are corn flour tortillas. They can be soaked in the breakfast coffee, though frequently they are prepared in a similar way to the sweet European pancakes. They also came from India.

Mandazi is a bun which is usually served with coffee.

For dessert, you can try some tropical fruit, natural or in salad. Pineapple, banana, papaya, mango, passion fruit, tamarind, coconut, guava, orange, lime, cherimoya, melon, watermelon,... Attention!, banana in Swahili means "squeezed". If you want a banana, ask for ndizi.

The British heritage is also shown in pastry, served at hotels, restaurants and lodges.

You will find some Kenyan recipes here.

Drinks:

As in every former British Colony, tea, chai in Swahili, is essential. It is widely cultured in the Highlands and great amounts are exported. It is usually served with milk and sugar.

If you want some coffee, ask for kahawa, not for coffee, unless you want to end up with five fingers marked on your face: kofi means "slap" in Swahili. Of course I'm joking (though the translation is true), no matter how you ask for it, everyone will understand if you speak English. Kenyan coffee is very good and one of the main export products. It is usually served with milk.

Beer is the national drink. Ask for a cold beer if you want cold beer. You will probably drink Tusker, in a half liter bottle. I do like it.

Wines served in restaurants are mainly South African, European or North American. In the Lake Naivasha region there are vineyards which are used to elaborate the Naivasha White, a good wine, and the Naivasha Red, not at all.

If you like coffee liquor, try Kenya Gold. With an ice cube, it is the perfect epilogue for a tough and hot day out in the bush.

At the lodges in the Maasai Land, you will find a bottle of champagne in the breakfast buffet. Champagne and orange juice is said to be the traditional Maasai breakfast (?).

Restaurants:

In the major cities you will find all kinds of restaurants, including those that serve international cooking. Prices are relatively low. You can dine at the best Nairobi or Mombasa restaurant for what you would spend at a European medium-high priced restaurant, but definitely not one of the best. These restaurants are mainly targeted to foreigners and the local elite. Specially in Mombasa, you will see that many, if not most of the local customers are Hindus.

There are a couple of places you will surely hear about. They belong to the Tamarind group, which has restaurants in Nairobi and Mombasa, specialising in fish and seafood. Tamarind Mombasa is located in a terrace overlooking the ocean opposite to the island, at the north shore of the channel. The grilled lobster is delicious. The same owner has another floating restaurant on board a dhow that sails the coast while customers have supper.

The Tamarind group has another restaurant in Nairobi, The Carnivore. It specialises in all kinds of meat, not just the classical types such as veal or beef but also some exotic animals, like zebra, wildebeest, game antelopes or even crocodile.

At the lodges:

The lodge food quality is in accordance to the lodge quality. In general, lodges offer good cooking, but personally I have appreciated a decrease in quality over the past years. The clubs, like Mount Kenya Safari Club, serve dinners a la carte that perfectly match any of the most sumptuous restaurants in Nairobi or Mombasa.

Breakfasts are always buffet, whereas lunches and dinners vary from buffet to menu, depending on the lodge.

If you travel on your own in a rented car, an interesting possibility is to ask for lunch boxes. All the lodges offer this service and this enables you to avoid breaking up your game drive to go back to the lodge for lunch. This is specially convenient in the larger parks, where a full day allows to reach areas that are way too far for a half day drive, go and back. Lunch boxes must be requested the previous evening.

However, don't expect the same quality. In a zero to ten scale, once you have ranked the lodge's food according to your personal appreciation, take five points away and you will obtain the ranking for the lunch box's quality. The ones at Amboseli Lodge roughly reach zero...