Indigenous foods are hard to come by in this modern day and age. For one to find an eatery that offers a traditional culinary experience, they have to find gems hidden from everyone. In Busia County’s Adungosi Centre, just 10km from the town on the Busia-Malaba Road, lies Mama Tamaduni Hotel, a food outlet in plain sight that serves Western Kenya’s delightful traditional dishes.
Tamaduni’s History
Named tamaduni for the Swahili word meaning tradition, the diner bears every other rural shop’s relaxed, casual vibe. Justine Emoit is the culinary expert behind Mama Tamaduni Hotel.
Before establishing the Tamaduni Hotel, Emoit had desired for years to open a food outlet where she could serve people clean, nutritious, traditional meals that teased their palates and left them full and happy. However, she ended up working as a nurse and taking up secretarial duty at a learning institution instead. It was only when she was working as a secretary that the call to hospitality beckoned harder. Yielding to what her heart wanted, Emoit set up Mama Tamaduni Hotel to serve Teso and Luhya cuisines.
A Cultural Haven
Just like every restaurant has house recipes, Emoit’s recipes are not a result of years spent in culinary school but are timeless Teso indigenous recipes passed down to her by her grandmother like a prized communal heirloom.
Under her grandmother’s tutelage, Emoit learnt how to preserve and store different foodstuffs, from vegetables to grains, meats, and even tubers. This early experience informs Emoit’s current recipes which are majorly made up of dried meats, vegetables, and smoked fish. Additionally, Emoit ensures that all the salt and spices used in food preparation – mainly consisting of peanut butter, simsim, sour milk, munyu (homemade soda salt), and ginger – are as they were centuries ago.
It is this elaborate food preparation process that is engraved with culture and detail that prompts motorists to refer visitors to Tamaduni Hotel whenever they ask for a taste of what Busia holds. Even though the eatery’s lunchroom is separate from the kitchen area and no one can see Emoit as she whips up culinary magic, the result of all that mystery is mind-blowing.
Impeccable Hospitality
Emoit serves all her customers with pride and contagious warmth. Her food is not only delicious, but it also piques the curiosity of many diners. Since establishing Tamaduni, Emoit hasn’t registered a single day that has passed without visitors probing deeply about the food she serves. She answers these questions with delight and even asks for their reviews on the food.
Verily, great reviews have led many to Emoit’s diner, but her dedication to serving the best of her culture’s treasured indigenous cuisine has earned her returning customers. Hers is not just a typical #StreetFoodKenya experience, it’s an immersion into a fulfilling world of food passionately prepared to nourish the soul and body; a place of love for tradition.