The cuisine of Rwanda is simple yet unique with the typical Rwandan diet consisting of sweet potatoes, beans, corn, peas, millet, and fruit. Many Rwandans don’t eat meat more than a few times a month. Those people who live near lakes also incorporate fish into their diets, particularly tilapia. In more urban areas like Kigali, various cuisines like Indian, Chinese, Italian, and other African-styled restaurants are available.

Popular Dishes Include:

Ugali: This is a paste that is made from maize and water which when mixed together form a porridge. Ugali is not only popular in Rwanda, it is also a favorite dish throughout eastern Africa.

Ibihaza: This dish is made from cut-up pumpkin that is mixed with beans and is then boiled.

Isombe: This meal combines mashed cassava leaves with dried fish.

Matolie: This is a meal made from baked or steamed plantains.

Dining Etiquette:

Many Rwandan men enjoy drinking beer, but women rarely drink alcohol in any form. They do drink tea with lots of milk and sugar.

Refusing to partake of offered food or drink is considered a grave insult. Hosts typically sip from drinks and taste the food first before passing them to the guests to show that they are safe for consumption and have not been poisoned.

Avoid asking about someone’s ethnicity or referring to someone as Hutu or Tutsi. Rwanda is a country whose deep wounds are healing, and the government is working hard to ensure that Rwandans heal together, so as to avoid another conflict in the future. To do so they have emphasized the idea that ethnicity no longer exists, that everyone is simply Rwandan.

Dress appropriately. People in Kigali take pride in their appearance and tend to dress up. Do not wear shorts—shorts are worn only by Rwandan schoolboys.

What is the famous food in Rwanda?

The Rwandan diet consists mainly of sweet potatoes, beans, corn, peas, millet, plantains, cassava, and fruit. The potato is now very popular, thought to have been introduced by German colonists. Rwandans who live in rural areas rarely eat meat.

Wherever you travel, local restaurants serve Rwandan favorites such as goat kebabs (brochettes), grilled or fried tilapia (a type of lake fish), and beans or meat stews. These are normally eaten with one of a few staples: ugali (a stiff porridge made with maize meal), matoke (stewed cooking banana/plantain), chapatti (flat bread), and boiled potatoes (as in Uganda, these are somewhat mysteriously referred to as Irish potatoes) – not to mention rice and the ubiquitous chips.