Ceremonial Sauce · Pigeon Pea & Simsim
Dek Ngor
Photo: Pamela Ayot / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Its Lango-region cousin, dek agira, was traditionally used to ritually anoint clan leaders — the same pigeon-pea sauce doubling as both food and ceremony.
Dek ngor mashes boiled pigeon peas with a mingling stick until creamy, then stirs in simsim paste or peanut butter to make a rich, nutty sauce eaten with kwon kal or rice.
Why it's made this way: The dish carries ceremonial weight among the Acholi, served at marriages, baptisms, family reunions and naming ceremonies, while also appearing on everyday restaurant menus in Gulu.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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