Introduction to Matooke (Green bananas)

Matooke the Staple food of East Africa.

When it comes to food for the people of central Eastern Africa, it is not considered a complete meal if it’s not served with a portion of Matooke!

Commonly consumed in the central and western parts of Uganda, Northern Tanzania and Rwanda. In Uganda it’s generally known as matooke,ebitoke in northern Tanzania and Igitiko for the people of Rwanda.It’s the staple food that many people from those regions.Aperson can feed on it throughout the year without being fed up with it.

The fruit is harvested green, carefully peeled, and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. In Uganda and Rwanda, the fruit is steam-cooked, and the mashed meal is considered a national dish in both countries.

Their leaves are also darker green and dull, a difference more apparent when comparing them side by side with other banana cultivars from a distance

Cooking bananas have long been and still are a common staple crop around the Lake Victoria area of Uganda, and in the West and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania.

Banana production and consumption are deeply embedded in East African culture, where some varieties have cultural roles among the farming communities.In most cases, men manage the banana plantations for cash while women manage those used directly for household food. However, even in the same plantation, individual bunches may be claimed by men for sale or by women for direct food use.

Fig.1: Photo of Matooke

Origin of Matooke:

East African Highland bananas were introduced early into Africa from Southeast Asia during the first to sixth centuries AD, probably via trade.They are genetically distinct from the other AAA cultivars, having evolved locally in the African Great Lakes region for over a millennium. They are found nowhere else in the world, and the African Great Lakes has been called the secondary center of banana diversity because of this (with Southeast Asia being the first). East African Highland bananas are considered to be especially diverse in Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda. However, genetic analysis has revealed that all East African Highland bananas are genetically uniform, having most likely originated from a single ancestral clone (introduced to Africa within the past 2000 years) that underwent population expansion by vegetative propagation. The triploid East African Highland banana gene pool arose from a single hybridization event, which generated a genetic bottleneck during the foundation of the crop genepool. Triploid East African Highland bananas are sterile, and have been asexually vegetatively propagated by generations by successive generations of farmers since their introduction to Africa. This has likely led to the emergence of the genetically near-isogenic somatic mutants (i.e. today’s East African Highland banana varieties) that have been selected by farmers and environments across East Africa.

Fig 2: Map of East and Central Africa.

Description of the Matooke:

Uganda Highland bananas are easily distinguishable from other banana cultivars by the numerous black (or more rarely brown or bronze) blotches on their pseudostems, giving them the appearance of polished metal. The outermost sheath of their pseudostems is a medium green, superimposed over the pink to purple underlying sheaths.

Their leaves are also darker green and dull, a difference more apparent when comparing them side by side with other banana cultivars from a distance.

The inflorescence has peduncles covered with coarse hair. The bracts are ovate to lanceolate in shape with outer surfaces that are purple to brown and inner surfaces which are red fading to yellow towards the base. The male flowers have cream colored sepals with yellow lobes. The anthers are pink, while the stigmata are orange.

The fruits are recurved and can vary in length. They are inflated with blunt tips. The pulp is white in unripe fruits and cream-colored in ripe fruits.

Fig. 3: Matooke plant.

Preparation of Matooke: The Kiganda way

To prepare matooke for steaming as opposed to braising, one has to have endagala (banana leaves) usually sold in bunches or singularly. Make certain that they are reasonably mature of age and the size will depend on the sauce that you choose to use. However, we do not recommend steaming matooke for one or two people though if this is the case then the boiling/katogo method offers the best solution.

What to do with the saucepan

Cut off the stalk extension of the leaf and turn it upside down and with a sharp knife remove and discard the tough midrib making certain the leaf remains whole and intact. Next, fold back the leaf on itself into half and repeat the process for all the leaves that you intend to use. In the meantime, if you have access to the actual stalk of the matooke then cut it into halves and use it as a foundation in your saucepan. You can also add the stalks and curl them so that they fit in the saucepan.

All in all, they should be piled into about ¼ of the saucepan and they will form the support for the matooke as it steams. Select the largest and most mature leaf and place it over the stalks while making sure that you fold it in such a way that the matooke is wrapped snugly inside. Securely cover the matooke with more banana leaves and add water for steaming that should never be above the stalks to avoid the food becoming watery and possibly discoloured.

Steamed matooke

Ingredients:

•30 to 40 fingers of mature but not ripe matooke

•Several banana leaves and stalks

•Enough water

Method

i)Peel matooke and wash. Prepare the banana leaves as indicated in the story.

ii) Have ready a suitable saucepan for steaming and after placing the matooke in the leaf and add enough water. Before placing the matooke in the saucepan, place a couple of banana stalks (ebikolokomba) crosswise in the saucepan. Add the matooke.

iii) Ensure that the matooke is neatly arranged then wrap it with the banana leaves and secure with fibres or ebyai. One by one tuck the banana leaves on top of the other until you are satisfied that they fit snugly. If possible, have a used banana leaf that has been seasoned from cooking matooke and this should be tucked in at the top of the layer of banana leaves.

iv) A gas burner or electric cooker is fine though given the fact that matooke is messy, an outdoor kitchen is advisable and use a sigiri.

v) When you first set the matooke on the fire or cooking range, give it one hour or so of high heat so that it boils thoroughly. After this process, reduce the heat and always make sure that the matooke has enough water and that at all times it is boiling. The process of cooking matooke is via streaming. Allow a minimum of two hours of cooking, the longer the better.

vi) When the banana leaves have turned brown, this is an indication that the matooke is ready to be mashed. Safely remove it from the fire and set it aside.

vii)At this juncture, you will need to have some used banana leaves where you can place the wrapped banana and begin mashing. It helps if you have another saucepan (a small plastic bowl can be used) with cold water and you are now ready to unravel the matooke and mash it using the old banana leaf. Carefully uncover the matooke to avoid the steam setting the banana leaves aside. Cut one of the leaves into two and fold the other half into three and the folded leaf gently. Gingerly press the matooke until it is mashed to the consistency of mashed potatoes.

viii) Wrap the mashed matooke in banana leaves and return to the saucepan adding more water making sure that the water does not touch the matooke. Use a wooden spoon (mulao) to pour the water to the bottom of the saucepan.

ix) Return the matooke on the range or sigiri and bring it to boil before reducing the heat and allow it to gently simmer for at least another hour. Without adequate heat you will get poor and dismal results. Serve piping hot preferably in a kibo wrapped in banana leaves.

How To Cook Matooke Step by Step. Preparing Matooke Ugandan Style,Ugandan Staple Food (greenbananas)

Fig.4 Matooke Ready for eating.