Food & Drink

Nyama Choma (Swahili for "grilled meat") is Kenya's culinary sanctuary. When Kenyans celebrate, they eat Nyama Choma — goat, beef, or chicken, slowly grilled over charcoal until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Accompanied by Ugali, Kachumbari (tomato salad), and ice-cold beer.

The best Nyama Choma experiences:

• Nairobi: The Carnivore Restaurant (legendary), Kikopey Nyama Choma (near Naivasha), any local roadside grill
• On Safari: Many camps offer evening bush barbecues under the starry sky — with the sound of hyenas in the distance
• On the Weekend: Kenyans go in groups for Nyama Choma — it's a social ritual, not fast food

The meat is often ordered in pieces (e.g., half a kilo of goat meat) and eaten with hands. No cutlery needed, but plenty of napkins!

Ugali is Kenya's staple food and is served with almost every meal. It is a firm porridge made from cornmeal and water — neutral in taste but with a pleasantly firm, slightly sticky consistency. Ugali is to Kenyans what rice is to Asians or bread is to Germans.

How to eat it: Break off a piece with your right hand, shape it into a small ball in your palm, press a hollow with your thumb, and use it as a "spoon" for stews and sauces.

Goes well with:

• Sukuma Wiki: Kenya's most popular vegetable — kale, braised in oil with tomatoes and onions. The name means "push the week" — because it is the cheapest vegetable
• Nyama Choma: Grilled meat
• Mchicha: Spinach stew with coconut milk
• Beef Stew or Chicken Stew: Hearty stew with potatoes

Chapati

Flatbreads inspired by Indian cuisine — thin, layered, fried in oil. Ubiquitous in Kenya and a legacy of Indian immigrants who came during the railway construction. Perfect with stews and in the morning with tea.

Mandazi

Kenya's most popular pastry — fried dough balls, slightly sweet, flavored with cardamom. Between a donut and a Berliner, but fluffier. Perfect for breakfast with Chai. Available at every street corner, anytime.

Pilau

Spiced rice Swahili-style — basmati rice with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and cumin, often with meat. Particularly common on the coast and in Muslim areas. Biriyani (the more elaborate version) is the festive dish.

Samosas

Fried pastries with minced meat or vegetable filling — an Indian legacy, now a national snack in Kenya. Available at every bus stop, in every market.

Swahili Cuisine on the Coast

The most refined cuisine in Kenya — a fusion of African, Arab, and Indian influences:

• Biryani: Spiced rice with chicken, lamb, or fish
• Mbaazi: Pigeon peas in coconut milk
• Wali wa Nazi: Coconut rice
• Pweza: Octopus in coconut sauce
• Mishkaki: Meat skewers, marinated in spices
• Mahamri: Sweet cardamom donuts

🍺 Tusker Beer

Kenya's national drink (besides tea). The lager beer from Kenya Breweries (founded in 1922) is ubiquitous — named after an elephant that killed one of the founders. Variants: Tusker Lager (standard), Tusker Malt (full-bodied), Tusker Lite (lighter). A cold Tusker after the game drive is a must.

☕ Chai (Masala Tea)

Kenya's true national drink: Chai is not simply made with a tea bag — tea leaves, milk, sugar, and spices (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon) are boiled together. The result is creamy, sweet, spicy, and instantly wakes you up. Available in every hotel, hut, and street corner.

Kenya is the third-largest tea exporter in the world — most of the tea grows in the highlands around Kericho.

🥤 Other Drinks

• Kenyan Coffee: World-class, but ironically, most Kenyans drink tea. The coffee is exported. However, you can now find excellent roasteries in Nairobi (Java House, Artcaffé)
• Dawa: Kenya's cocktail — vodka with lime juice and honey, served by the campfire. "Dawa" means "medicine" in Swahili
• Madafu: Fresh coconut, cracked open with a machete — perfect beach drink on the coast
• Stoney Tangawizi: Extremely spicy ginger beer — an experience!