Kinyarwanda
Kinyarwanda Crops and Foods
Introduction
Urashonje? Are you hungry?
As a culture that revolves heavily around agriculture and farming, Rwandan foods tend to be simple dishes that highlight the flavor and freshness of common crops. By learning crop names, we can also learn the names of several food dishes. Let’s review some staples:
- Imyumbati – cassava
- Umuneke – banana
- Igitoki – plantain (pl. ibitoki)
- Ikigori – corn/maize
- Ibishyimbo – beans (sing. igishyimbo)
- Ibirayi – potatoes (sing. igirayi)
- Igihaza – pumpkin (pl. ibihaza)
- Amasaka – sorghum
- Amateke – taro/yam
- Imbwija – amaranth
Notice some are conventionally used in singular or plural form, such as ibishyimbo – beans, which is rarely used in singular form. Unless you are talking about one very special bean!
Dishes
Several of these crop names are also used to refer to prepared dishes, like in English. The term “guteka” or just “teka” refers to cooking, often used to describe transforming the basic vegetable, grain, or starch into a dish. Click the links provided to see cooking demonstrations.
1. Teka imyumbati – cooked cassava
2. Guteka ibitoki – cooked plantains
3. Guteka ibirayi – cooked potatoes
4. Wateka ibishyimbo – cooked beans
A lot of these preparations contain similar flavorings: onion, chili, tomato, oil, broth, and other spices.
“Kotsa” is a word referring to grilling which is commonly done for maize. Kotsa ikigori is a popular street food.
