Malewa. The staple stew of the Bagisu located in the Eastern part of Uganda is known as Malewa loosely translated as bamboo leaves.

The tasty dish has taken on national prominence as it is no longer confined to only Bugishu.

The foothills of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda are intricately linked to the history of the Bagisu people and the food they eat. Many a Mugishu (Mumasaba) believes in the legend that the first Mugishu man, Masaba, emerged from a cave on the slopes of Mount Elgon where the raw material for Bamboo shoots ‘Malewa’ grows wildly and widely.

It is believed that the mountain is home to the Bagishu gods and numerous cultural artefacts are sourced from the mountain. Mount Elgon, now a protected national park, has been and is also the source of a delicacy unique to the Bagishu that has been eaten by the people over 3,000 years, according to lore.

In Bugishu, once ‘Malewa’ is prepared, children will say they have prepared ‘Zinyinyi’ (sauce) and while they will say they have prepared ‘bilyo’ (food) if matooke has been prepared, this explains why the two are inseparable at most meals.

‘Malewa’ can be eaten as food once boiled but could also serve as sauce at most meals and can never be left out among the Bagishu (those hailing from Mbale, Manafwa, Bududa, Sironko, Bududa and Bulambuli).

The dried bamboo shoots, the malewa, are adored among the Bagishu. The dish has swept through the Bantu speaking tribes in the country and neighbouring Luo tribes, like Japadhola.

In Bugishu region, for those who have attended parties; graduation parties, circumcision ceremonies and marriage introduction ceremonies and even at weddings where buffets are prepared, if malewa is not prepared, the party is not complete.

Most Bagishu who have gone to live abroad once in a while when they come back into the country, will carry it privately in their luggage across the borders into Europe or America and these have also impressed the friends in diaspora who have come to accept that malewa is a delicious delicacy.