Local Dishes

1. Gĩtoero

   Gĩtoero (stew of potatoes and vegetables)

   Usage

   A Kikuyu home-style stew of potatoes and vegetables, sometimes with meat. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   Class 7 noun. Wiktionary gives "stew with potato, vegetable and sometimes meat", and the Bible has it 3 times (see the next card).

2. Gĩtoero kĩa ndengũ

   Stew of ndengũ (lentils or green grams)

   Usage

   A bean stew; in Kenyan eateries "ndengu" is the pulse stew. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   The Bible has "gĩtoero kĩa ndengũ" (a stew of ndengũ), where ndengũ is rendered as lentils; in present-day Kenya it usually means green grams. "kĩa" is "of" (class 7).

3. Ndengũ

   Ndengũ (lentils / green grams)

   Usage

   The name of a small pulse, eaten in Kenya as a stew or side dish. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   Class 9/10. Bible 8 times (there rendered as lentils); also a Benson 1964 headword. The final ũ needs its tilde.

4. Njahĩ

   Njahĩ (lablab beans)

   Usage

   A dark bean, boiled and mashed; traditionally eaten on special occasions such as for new mothers. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   Class 9/10. Listed in both Wiktionary and Benson 1964 (Benson: seed of the lablab bean). Not in the Bible. The final ĩ needs its tilde.

5. Githeri

   Githeri (boiled maize and beans)

   Usage

   Dried maize kernels and beans boiled together, a staple of central Kenya. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   The dish name as spelled on Kenyan menus and signs. The dictionaries do not list it in the dish sense, so the menu spelling is used as is and no new Kikuyu spelling was made. en.wikipedia gives the Kikuyu form as "Gĩtheri". The Bible's "gĩtheri" is a different word (pure, empty), not the dish.

6. Mukimo

   Mukimo (mashed potatoes and greens)

   Usage

   A dish from around Mount Kenya: potatoes and greens (sometimes with maize and beans) mashed together and served beside stew or grilled meat. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   The dish name as spelled on Kenyan menus and signs. The dictionaries do not list it in the dish sense, so the menu spelling is used as is and no new Kikuyu spelling was made.

7. Nyama choma

   Nyama choma (grilled meat)

   Usage

   Goat or beef roasted over charcoal; a favourite for eating out in a group. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   "nyama" is meat (Bible 205 times, also in Wiktionary; a native word). "choma" ("grilled") comes from Swahili and is part of the dish name. The menu spelling is used as is.

8. Chapati

   Chapati (flat bread)

   Usage

   A round flat bread of wheat dough, eaten with stew or beans. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   The dish name as spelled on Kenyan menus and signs. The dictionaries do not list it in the dish sense, so the menu spelling is used as is and no new Kikuyu spelling was made.

9. Mũgate

   Bread

   Usage

   Bread in general, such as sliced loaves and rolls. To order from a menu by pointing, or to ask what a dish is called.

   Grammar Note

   Class 3 noun. Bible 81 times, also in Wiktionary. It is a loan from Swahili mkate; plural mĩgate.

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