Uganda

Last week we did two African countries in a row. But I am deciding if you really dig for recipes you can diversify, and truth be told, you do learn Africa is so much more than rice and yams. (Although, to be clear, there are still a lot of rice and yams). 

So on to 'The pearl of Africa', as Winston Churchill once dubbed the east African country of Uganda. 

With trademarks that include mountain gorillas, Lake Victoria, and Anti-Gay legislation, you know you're getting a mixed bag.  (the 2014 "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" which proposed life in prison for 'repeat offenders' has been repealed, but the country still has a long way to go!) 

For Uganda we focused mainly on the natural elements, as it has a lot to offer in that department. Plus, Uganda isn't known for it's cities. In fact, they only have one choice for their capital. Kampala is the only city in the whole country. 

Our Landmark was Lake Victoria, one of the African Great Lakes. It's the largest lake in Africa by area, and the world's second largest fresh water lake by area (first is Lake Superior). Lake Victoria could have been in the landmark in Kenya or Tanzania, but we listed it for Uganda. The lake, which receives it's water primarily from direct rainfall and thousands of small streams, is drained solely by the Nile river in Jinga, Uganda. The Speke monument marks this source of the Nile on the northern shore. 

Uganda also holds the distinction of having the 'most exciting' part of the Nile. Murchison Falls in the 19 foot gap where the river bottlenecks, causing massive amounts of water to shoot over the gap with a ton of force. 

The mountain gorillas are the main source of the tourism in Uganda though. More than half of the world's mountain gorilla population life in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. (If you need a mental picture, these are the one's that are called 'silverbacks' and beat their chests with their fists when they are threatened.) 

Anyway, to see the gorillas, you'll need to buy a permit which you have to book way ahead of time. In order to not disturb the highly endangered animals, only a few tourists are taken near the gorillas a day. With a permit, you are allowed one hour to observe the gorilla in its natural habitat. 

If chimpanzees are more your scene, you can also schedule tours to visit the also endangered common chimpanzee in its natural habitat. 

The boys made their postcards for Uganda. 

Calib put a car on top of the buildings in the city to note the 'organized chaos' of the bus station in Kampala (our book featured a rather impressive, if not a bit crazy, picture of the whole thing). 

Peyton's featured the Tombs of Buganda Kings, a sacred site in Uganda. These structures with large thatched roofs, are the burial grounds for the four kings of the Buganda Kingdom (a subnational kingdom within Uganda).  

Hayden's meanwhile featured the sign for the Nile, tourists and gorillas. 

Truth be told, we did Uganda on the fly. We had planned for Costa Rica, but we ordered a special salsa for that, and it hadn't arrived. I didn't want to push anything up because it would screw with our next set of 'Survivor Countries' we are going to do before the Finale on Wednesday, so I decided to find an African country to do. Uganda required next to no digging for good recipes, and we had all the stuff for it- because I'm now the type of person who just happens to have canned coconut milk on hand. But anyway....

For dinner we had Ugandan Kabobs, Ugandan Curried Potatoes, roasted carrots, pineapple and mango, and Mandazi, a traditional Ugandan dessert. 

This dinner was hands down 5 spoons up. 

(And the boys were pleased not to see any crunchy grasshoppers on their plates- a delicacy in Uganda)

I know we had something with the meatballs and yogurt sauce not all that long ago, but we still liked it. The curried potatoes, even with some spicy peri peri sauce was universally loved. 

Everyone but Hayden enjoyed the carrots. Though, I can't seem to find the recipe for again- but it's basically roasted carrots tossed in olive oil, thyme, shallots, salt and pepper and then drizzled with a mixture of honey, olive oil, cayenne pepper and salt. 

Those little mandazi's though, those were delicious. They fluff up with an empty pocket like a beignet, but they lack the powdered sugar. They are, however, delicious on their own. Eventually we decided they'd be really awesome with some dipping sauce, and Asa whipped up this chocolate sauce that was amazing. Seriously, make these. You'll thank me. 

We colored Uganda in blue, and checked another African country off our list. 

80 down, 113 to go! 

Next Up: Palau