Githeri

Githeri is boiled maize and beans, and it is the staple dish of the Kikuyu people of central Kenya, also eaten by the Meru, Mbeere, Embu and Kamba communities of the central and eastern provinces, and now widely across the country. Its importance is nutritional as much as cultural, and the reason is worth stating precisely. Maize and beans eaten together form a complete protein: maize is short on lysine, beans are short on methionine, and each supplies what the other lacks. Neither alone would do it. In a diet where meat is occasional rather than daily, that combination has done an enormous amount of work, and it is the reason githeri has stayed central rather than being displaced. Both crops are grown locally on smallholdings across the region, which is the other half of the explanation. Githeri is made from what the farm produces, and it is cheap in a way imported staples are not. Fresh maize and beans are preferred where available, and most cooks say the taste is better; dried is used the rest of the year and needs longer cooking. The basic dish is plain, boiled together, salted. From there it is often fried up with onion, tomato and greens into something richer, and potatoes are a common addition.