Kachumbari is a fresh tomato and onion salad dish that is popular in the cuisines of the

African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes ( sw, Maziwa Makuu; rw, Ibiyaga bigari) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. They include Lake Victoria, the second-largest fresh water lake in the ...

region. It is an uncooked salad dish consisting of chopped tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers. Variations of kachumbari can be found in Kenya,

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

and in the Southern African countries of Malawi and Congo. The Swahili word ''kachumbari'' originated from the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n word '' cachumber''.

Uses

Kachumbari is used as a salad side dish for a main meal. In Kenya, it is used as a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific Flavoring, flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is serv ...

served with ''pilau'' (

pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techniq ...

mukimo Mukimo, mokimo or irio is a Kenyan meal (predominantly from communities living around Mount Kenya) prepared by mashing potatoes and green vegetables. It may also include maize and beans. Mukimo is mostly served as an accompaniment for meat-based ...

, or a meal of ''

nyama choma The ''nyama choma'' is a specialty of grilled goat meat. Roasted meat is very popular in Kenya where it is considered the national dishhttp://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1974866_1974860_1974832,00.html « Nairobi: 10 T ...

'' (roasted meat) and ''

ugali Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. ...

''. In Tanzania, it is eaten with rice pilau or ''

biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, ...

''. In Malawi, it is usually eaten on its own like any other salad dish, while in Uganda it is normally eaten with ''nyama choma''.

Variations

Other ingredients, such as lime or lemon juice, fresh

cilantro Coriander (;

(

coriander Coriander (;

or ''

dhania Coriander (;

''), parsley, avocado, or cucumber, and in some cases gin or

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...

, can also be added. Some recipe variations also call for

habanero The habanero (; ) is a hot variety of chili. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. The most common color variants are orange and red, but the fruit may also be white, brown, yellow, green, or purple. Typically, a ripe hab ...

or Scotch bonnet peppers, with a touch of ground cayenne pepper. Kachumbari is popular throughout the African Great Lakes region and can be eaten with African pilaf and African ''biryani''. In

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, it is called ''sumu'' or ''shum'' or simply "tomato and onion salad".

References

External links

Entry for Kachumbari from Congocookbook.com
{{Salads Condiments Kenyan cuisine Malawian cuisine Rwandan cuisine Ugandan cuisine Onion-based foods Salads

Uses

Variations

See also

References

External links