Gourmet food on Morobo’s street-corner

Continuing from last time, I would like to introduce local foods in Southern Sudan, especially those in the village.

These are made from cassava which is first mashed, then salted, knead and deep-fried.





The texture is something like slightly hard dumplings. There are round, flat types, as in the photo, and also types made long and thin before being fried. You can see them being sold not only in the markets of Morobo, but also on roadsides rather deep in the mountain areas. Five pieces cost 1 pound (about 25 yen).

Boiled sorghum and beans




Boiled sorghum and beans are eaten topped with scallop oil, which has savory aroma. The locals love this fragrant oil and put plenty of it on their meals. One dish costs 1 pound (about 25 yen).

This is the fruit of a shea-butter tree, which is known in Japan as an ingredient for luxury cosmetics.

Shea-butter trees, called Lulu by the locals, can be seen bearing lots of fruit in the village in which JEN operates its activities. In order to be used for cosmetics, the seeds are dried and crushed to extract shea-butter, a kind of oil.




The villagers use this rich and healthy oil for cooking. Covering the seed is some fruit pulp, which is sweet and has a unique fragrance. It is edible when ripe and yellow.



These are the favorites of South Sudanese people. People look forward to the end of April, when the rainy season starts. This is because it is the season for termites. (They are bigger than the termites in Japan, and look like caterpillars when their wings come off).
People gather the termites when their wings come off in the breeding season. They are eaten deep-fried, or boiled in stew or soup. The milky-white soup is especially delicious – eaten with dumplings made of sorghum powder, called Ugari, soaked in it.




At the end of April, villagers came with treats for the members who were working since morning. The expressions of all the members, which previously looked a little tired, became bright at once.


There are big anthills here and there in the village. See the size compared with the 4WD vehicle? Sometimes they offer a beautiful sight with various plant roots tangled around them.