African Food and Art

Thank you to our latest donor, Tony. Thank you, Tony. We were able to purchase three new stainless steel pots to continue our cooking and teaching heritage.

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference. 

Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled.

Making Ugali

Ugali recipe.

Easy Ugali Recipe

Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups finely ground cornmeal

8 cups water

Directions

Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own.


What is the difference between ugali and fufu. 

The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is pounded first then boiled while ugali is simply boiled. Fufu is a staple food common in many countries in Africa. The traditional method is to boil starchy food crops like cassava, yams or plantains and cocoyams and then pound them into a dough-like consistency. 

How do you eat Fufu? Simply tear off a small piece of Fufu hold it with your fingers making a slight indentation to scoop up a small portion of food.

Ugali is known in South Africa as Pap or Mielie, Sadza in Zimbabwe, and Nsima in Malawi; the name changes with region and language in Africa.

Fufu is a staple food in many countries in West Africa such as Cote D'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, and Nigeria. 

Ugali, on the other hand, is not made from starchy crops but from ground corn. It is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. It is cooked in boiling water or milk until it reaches a stiff or firm dough-like consistency. 

The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Here are a few other names of ugali in other African countries, same dish different name. Ogi, Akamu in Nigeria, Ngima, Buru, Sembe, Chenge, Arega in Kenya, Bando, Kaunga in Uganda, Moteke, Bidia, Bugali in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Isitshwala, Bogobe in Botswana, Xima and Chima in Mozambique, Mealie and Pap in Lesotho, and South Africa and Soor in Somalia and Zambia.

 

Pounding fufu in Ghana.
Making Plantain Fufu 


Plantain Fufu Recipe


How to make plantain fufu. Plantains are used for cooking at any stage of ripeness; green, partially yellow ripe, yellow ripe and brown yellow overripe. You can use green or ripe plantains to make plantain fufu.

Easy Plantain Fufu Recipe

Ingredients
3 green or yellow plantains
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Water for boiling

Directions
In a large pot place the peeled and evenly cut plantains and cassava and cover with water. Boil until soft about 20 minutes. Place the salt, flour, plantains and cassava in a mixer and knead until the consistency of soft dough is achieved. Fufu should be much stiffer than mashed potatoes in texture. 
 
Did you know?
Foufou goes by many names, Fufu, Foofoo, and Fufuo; whatever the name fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by pounding then boiling a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava. In some markets in Africa you can now buy powdered fufu and boil without pounding the starch first.

Ugali Recipe

The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled.


More economical easy lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

  1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
  2. Yedoro Stir Fried Ethiopian Chicken Dinner
  3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
  4. Caldo Verde Portuguese Kale Soup
  5. Air Fryer Black Eyed Pea Dumpling Stew

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Week’s Best African Culture Posts

Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

Image
Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
Learn More About Africa

Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

Image
African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
Learn More About Africa

Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

Image
Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
Learn More About Africa