There are foods that delight the senses from the moment they are prepared to the point they are eaten. When it comes to these foods, the elusive njugu mawe certainly fits the bill. Known otherwise as the bambara groundnut or tsimbade in Luhya, this legume requires that one pound away at it with a hard object to get to the nutty goodness inside. It is unsurprising therefore that the legume’s Swahili name translates to rock nut – an ode to its tough exterior.
Njugu mawe come in a stunning rainbow of colours. This includes deep dark browns, brilliant whites, bold reds, muted creams, pitchy blacks, and even various combinations of these many colours.
The journey that the bambara groundnut took to arrive in Kenya is one that researchers have dedicated some time to. One theory is that the nut was brought by the Luo community as they migrated from Sudan to Kenya. After this migration, evidence suggests that inter-community mingling led to the nut being distributed all over Kenya.
Versatility of Njugu Mawe
Today, the Luo, Luhya, and Giriama communities all have distinct njugu mawe recipes which range from eating them raw, roasting, boiling, and stewing. Different communities have prepared snacks galore using this nut. Much like peanuts, bambara groundnuts ripen underground. The nuts are the perfect muse for a variety of snacks because of their diversity. Njugu mawe exist on the border between nuts and beans and are even been likened to chickpeas. Because of this, they can be eaten raw as well as roasted like a nut. Alternatively, when crushed, they can also become the foundation of a myriad of stews.
The Luhya community have traditionally washed and boiled the nuts in salted water for a tasty snack. Both the Luhya and Luo communities have enjoyed the nuts boiled with maize and beans to make a snack that can be downed with a side of tea.
Another defining factor of njugu mawe is its rare status as a complete food. This means that biting into one of these nuts gives one a healthy dose of proteins, carbs and carbohydrates. A full balanced meal in one small nut!
Whether eaten whole, raw, crushed, boiled, stewed or even roasted, this legume has certainly been the heart of many traditional Kenyan snacks.
Have you eaten bambara groundnuts before? Do you crush the shells or prepare them whole?
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