What do people eat in Rwanda?

Diet

The Rwandan diet consists mainly of sweet potatoes, beans, corn, peas, millet and fruit. A traditional breakfast consists of sweet potatoes and porridge, which is a mixture of sorghum, corn and millet, mixed with milk. In urban areas such as Kigali, people usually have bread and tea for breakfast. Rwandans add lots of milk and sugar to their tea. Lunch and dinner may consist of boiled beans, bananas, sweet potatoes or cassava. Umutsima (a dish of cassava and corn), isombe (cassava leaves with eggplant and spinach) and mizuzu (fried plantains) are common dishes. Dinner is the heaviest meal. Between meals, Rwandans often snack on fruits. Tropical fruits such as avocados, bananas, mangoes and papaya are abundant in Rwanda. Roadside vendors in urban areas sell roasted corn and barbecued meat.

Mealtime

The typical evening meal for a child is likely to consist of a special maize meal sort of cake with bean sauce and there is likely to be a variation in this meal since it will be eaten every day and in almost every home in the Rwandan village. For those children who are not served lunch at school, the evening meal is more often than not the only meal of the day.

Popular Rwanda Recipes

Amandazi Fritters - Bread
Banana Plantains with Dried Peas - Side Dish
Banana with Green Split Peas - Side Dish
Cassavas with Dried Beans- Side dish
Chicken with Tomato Sauce - Main Dish
Isombe - Main Dish
Pinto Beans with Cassava - Main Dish
Ubugali Cassava Porridge - Main Dish

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