Burundian cuisine facts for kids

Foods at a Burundian meal

Burundi is situated in East Africa and has a territory full of mountains, savannas and agricultural fields, with forests in the surrounding of rivers and waters. Agriculture is spread on 80% of the country's surface and it especially includes coffee, tea, corn, beans and manioc. Due to these characteristics, the Burundi cuisine is very representative of the African culinary culture, as it includes beans, which are the staple of Burundi cooking, exotic fruits (mainly bananas), plantains, sweet potatoes, cassava, peas, maize and cereals, like corn and wheat.

A major aspect when discussing Burundian cuisine is based on the economic conditions of the country: the Burundian people usually eat homemade food, from homemade vessels also used for drinking, carrying water and storing grain. Food security remains a major problem in Burundi.

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  Location of Burundi

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  Burundi landscape

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  Brochettes in Burundi

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  Bjumbura Burundi soldiers cooking in a sufuria over a fire

Ingredients

Most of Burundi's dishes are soups that consists of a variety of foods, spices, and herbs such as:

• Banana
• Beans
• Cabbage
• Corn
• Plantains
• Sweet potato
• Goat
• Sheep
• Fish
• Onions
• Palm oil
• Pepper
• Salt

Typical dishes

Bean soup; soups are common in Burundian cuisine

• Ugali— maize or cassava flour porridge
• Curry
• Maharagwe—bean soup
• Ibiharage—fried beans
• Beans and bananas
• Bean soup
• Matura and mahu—type of sausage
• Boko boko harees