Unique Ugandan Treats

My first day in Uganda, Angie served jackfruit.


Jackfruit grows on trees and is super cheap. This entire thing cost around two dollars.


You eat jackfruit by picking out the yellowish flesh that looks a little like pineapple.


It has a rubbery texture and not a lot of taste. Angie's kids think it tastes like Juicy Fruit gum. I wasn't a big fan, but it was fun to try.

I saw these gourd like things growing off a vine by my room and asked what they were. You know those expensive sponges you buy? If you peel one of these you'll find a high premium sponge inside.


Good cheese is expensive in Uganda, so Angie makes her own. She made some stellar ricotta and I helped squeeze the moisture out of mozzarella cheese with my bare hands. The ricotta in particular was super easy to make. She heated milk to a certain temperature then added vinegar and lemon juice and the cheese just curdled right up. She added sweet basil leaves, garlic salt and sour cream to make THE BEST ricotta I've ever eaten.

The mozzarella was a longer process involving heating it more than once and waiting for the cheese to rise to the surface. Once it is semi-solid you squeeze out the moisture, heat it and squeeze again. The more moisture you can squeeze out, the harder the cheese. It was good as well.

I tried some Ugandan soda. It tasted a little gingery and was pretty refreshing until I looked at the ingredients and saw one bottle had 56 grams of sugar. (Edie, you'd be shot for the day after drinking one of these!)


We took a drive and saw a local tea field. You can actually kind of smell the tea in the air. Workers are paid by the kilo of leaves picked and often only make about a dollar a day.




The tea fields provided some beautiful views.




Banana trees are everywhere. Did you know they only produce one bunch of bananas and then quit producing?


There are also a lot of papyrus trees.


Is it just me or do these remind you of Dr. Seuss too?

I join up with my team tomorrow at an engagement ceremony. I hear it's an all day affair, starting at 10:AM and lasting until around midnight. I'm anxious to see what THAT party is about!

Thanks so much for your prayers, friend. You're sustaining me more than you know.