ABANYALA BA KAKAMEGA: Meals and Food crops

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Abanyala ba Kakamega had a variety of indegenous cooked food. The following are some of the key names of the meals.
  1. Amakira-
  2. Amabeere- milk. There were other milk products such as amasalule (fat), amabere amayu, amabeere amawiwu, embuu, omutokha, eonda etc
  3. Amachemwa- bananas. There were different types of bananas: echemwa lya engocha (cooked), echemwa lya esilimi (brew making), echemwa lya omunchinchi or switi, echemwa lya panianiamba (panana), echemwa esumwe, echemwa lya bokoya and echemwa lya nalandwe. We have the following banana meals: amachemwa amasamba (roasted bananas), amachemwa amasinde (unpeeled and boiled bananas), amachemwa amatekhe (peeled and boiled bananas) and amachemwa amalabire (ripe bananas) 
    Amachemwa ka esinyala
  4. Amachuku (eseebe) - air potatoes or Discorea minutiflora. They were roasted and then boiled. Most people considered them as the poor man's food since they were readily available.
    Amachuku
  5. Amaengere- succotash. A mixture of beans and maize in the ratio on 1:1.
  6. Amakalakapwe- boiled maize; not on cobs. 
  7. Amakhalange- farmented and roasted flour pellets. They were mixed with water and honey then eaten.
  8. Amakhayo- boiled maize, beans and embande
  9. Amakhuyu- figs
  10. Amaito- groundnuts. They were eaten boiled, roasted or made into paste to be added in vegetable.
  11. Amatolotolo- yams
  12. Amatumwa- boiled green maize or roasted maize.
  13. Amapwoni makonanje- sweet potatoes. There were of various varieties. 
    Amapwoni makonanje
  14. Amapwoni ka ngwachi- irish potatoes
    Amapwoni ka ngwachi
  15. Amasibili-
  16. Amawuyu- eggs
  17. Amechichi-
  18. Embalayo-
  19. Embama- tuber from Esente ventricusiu musacae. It was roasted, boiled or made into flour to be used as beverage. 
    Embama
  20. Embande- Bambaranuts beans. They were boiled, roated or pasted and used in making soup. 
    Embande
  21. Embetetwe- hard shelled roasted maize seeds; not on cobs.
  22. Emikachi kya esilimi
  23. Emikachi kya esinyala- sugarcane that were dark in colour and soft. 
    Emikachi kya esinyala
  24. Emikalo
  25. Emioko- cassavas. They were boiled or made into flour. There were varieties of cassavas such as serere. 
    Emioko
  26. Emuma- milk cake
  27. Enduma- arrowroot
    Enduma
  28. Eng'eni- fish. There were varieties of fish such as owuduba (omena), omukoye, oluyoko, emanje, esipalapapa, eduli, epopo, echachu etc
  29. Eng'oli ekhasi- green peas
  30. Eng'oli esaacha- black peas.
  31. Enuni- simsim
  32. Eliani- any of the green vegetable. There were varieties of green vegetable such as omuchere, esusa, epwoka, esiriecho, muchunde, esikhubayaka, esaka, namasaka, lusero, khafululu, esingayangaya etc.
  33. Eliongo- mature pumpkin
  34. Esihango-
  35. Esifuluko- 
  36. Esikakha sikhasi- pineapple
  37. Esindu- quails
  38. Esike- locusts
  39. Esitieni- mashed beans.
  40. Eswa-white ants
  41. Eondo- young pumpkin usually boiled together with vegetable.
  42. Esimemu- any of the cooked or roasted meat products.
  43. Kalabaya- roasted or cooked seeds of gemsbuck beans or marama beans.  
    Kalabaya
  44. Kwachu (amarinda)-  Tamarinds 
  45.  Namulwa- goose berries
  46. Omuchalwa- blood mixed with milk and boiled to harden.
  47. Omukhayikwe-  boiled or rosted tubers of gemsbuck or marama beans. Its soup was believed to be medicinal.
    Omukhayikwe
  48. Omukhenye- marshed beans and sweet potatoes
  49. Omuniobo- marshed beans and cassava
  50. Omutekete - murshed simsim paste 
  51. Omutioko- boiled bananas.
  52. Omwenge- mashed, boiled green bananas.
  53. Omwoka- boiled beans.
  54. Owoba- mushroom. There were varieties of mushrooms such as white anthill mushroom called oukochwe, small brown anthill mushroom with a navel-like top called ouchofuma, common plainland brown mushroom called ouchalamachi, compost white mushroom called ousina and small antplace mushrooms called khasokhere.
  55. Owunani- blackberries
  56. Owusera wa oluwumbu- porridge for babies
  57. Owusera owulunguchu
  58. Owusera owupaakhe
  59. Owusera owuchwaanwe
  60. Owusuma wa amatumwa- ugali made from maize flour.
  61. Owusuma wa esia embako-
  62. Owusuma wa esifu-
  63. Owusuma wa naufu
  64. Owusuma wa omwoka- 
  65. Owusuma wa owule- ugali made from millet flour. The millet was first roasted as form of precooking before grinding.
  66. Owusuma wa atwaka- ugali made from a mixture of maize, cassava, sorghum and millet flour.

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