Kikuyu Staple · Boiled Maize and Beans
Githeri
Photo: safaritravelplus / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
Githeri became an unlikely national meme in 2017 when a Kenyan voter photographed eating it from a plastic bag in the election-day queue went viral as 'Githeri Man.'
Dried maize and beans are boiled together for hours until tender, sometimes fried afterward with onions, tomatoes, and potatoes into a richer 'githeri special.' Nairobi and Central Kenya street kiosks ladle it into bowls or bags as a filling, cheap lunch.
Why it's made this way: Githeri originated as a humble, one-pot Kikuyu staple that stretched maize and beans into a complete meal, and it has since spread nationwide as one of Kenya's most recognizable everyday foods.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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