Food Habits of Tanzania

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©Maryam Imbumi

Vegetables and wild plants

VEGETABLES

Carotene content of green leaves

PDF: Carotene content of green leaves_1967

Reprinted from THE WORLD REVIEW OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS Vol. 7, Latham, M. C, "Nutritional Studies in Tanzania, (Tanganyika), Copyright (1967), 31-71, with permission from S. Karger AG.

Green leavy vegetables were eaten raw as a snack, as a side dish or they were included into a dish when available. Certain green leaves were also consumed during pregnancy.

In season leaves of: Sweet potato Pumpkin Cassava Beans Cowpeas Wild plants: Amaranths, Gynandropsis gynandra (mgagani) were consumed from different ethnical groups in East Africa. These indigenous, traditional and introduced varieties supplied valuable amounts of iron, calcium, carotene and vitamin C.

Cassava

Reference: Culwick, A. T. and G. M. Culwick (1941). "Nutrition and native agriculture in East Africa." East African Medical Journal 6: 146-153.

Read more about the nutritive value of different cassava leaves in the following article:

PDF: Nutrition and native agriculture in East Africa 1940

IPGRI publication: TRADITIONAL AFRICAN VEGETABLES

Book on Foods of West Africa: Their origins and use by Ifeyironwa Francisca Smith

© Francisca Smith

"The first part of the book traces the origin and movement of several West African Foods from pre-historic to modern times identifying those that are still commonly eaten, and others that are sadly neglected and close to being on the endangered list. The foods are appropriately classified into roots and tubers, starchy fruits, cereals, legume grains, condiments and spices, and are briefly described complete with local and scientific names."

WILD PLANTS

Why are wild foods important for Africa?

One in six of the world's population lives in dry land areas and the majority of them are reliant on subsistence agriculture for survival. This, in combination with political instabilities and climate makes these people acutely vulnerable to famine through man-made and natural disasters. On the one hand, some populations survived on wild foods during food shortages. On the other hand, during long term famines, people were dependent on external food aid which brought a decrease of the ability and desire to utilise wild foods. The loss of routinely addition of wild plants to the diet which was very common throughout generations among a number of ethnical groups results in changing food habits. Species loss in certain areas is the result of population displacement and environmental degradation often associated with famine and food shortages.

Databases and Projects on "Wild food plants"

• African wild harvest, is a pilot project on Sub-Saharan famine food legumes which resulted in a manual entitled Dry land legumes in Africa: Food for thought" (Huxham et al. 1998)
  
• The survey of economic plants for arid and semi-arid lands (SEPASAL) project is a major database on useful "wild" and semi-domesticated plants of the world's tropical and subtropical dry lands, with a major focus on Africa. USE: SEPASAL can be accessed on the
• Internet: www.kew.org/ceb/sepasal/ (to make searches and to download information, it is important to register;)
  

Example for WILD AFRICAN PLANTFOODS:

African cucumber (Momordica balsamina L.)
Native to: Ethiopia and Sudan
Eaten: Leaves and fruits
Tolerates wide range of extreme conditions

Sausage tree (Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth.)
Native to: East Africa
Used parts: Roasted seeds are eaten
Fruits are used in beer fermentation
Wide variety of uses in traditional medicine

Green leafy vegetables from root and tubers

Source: Mandu, P., T. Johns, et al. (2005). Traditional root and tuber food plants of Sub Sahara Africa: Diversity and potential for improving health, nutrition and livelihood. Cape to Cairo Safari Conference, Potchefstroom, South Africa, North West University.

The leaves of introduced roots and tubers, as cassava, sweet potatoes, taro and tannia are a main source of minerals and vitamins for a lot of communities in Sub Sahara Africa and the crops itself contribute as major source of energy.
For the improvement in nutrition, livelihood and health it is important to promote the use of wild root and tuber species, especially those used as green leafy vegetables and their domestication, habitat protection and species improvement. Furthermore, their documentation is of great importance considering that a lot of communities consume root and tubers raw and sometimes without knowing about their poisonous properties.

Wild green vegetables on Ukara island (Lake Viktoria)

Mboga, wild green vegetables on Uakara included cultivated plants and one's which grew in the wilderness.

Cultivated

• Mioba
  
• Mkotwe
  
• Njakobi
  
• Muyee (a variety of pea)
  
• Mchogolo (a plant with leaf like arum lily)
  

Wild

• Muso
  
• Mbara
• Imboga
  
• Omusulwe
  
• Omeovyo
  
• Mchiche
  
• Inyolima
  
• Isokoro
  

On the banks of streams:

• Lineke
  
• Omunete
  

Reference : Laurie, W. M., W. Brass, et al. (1951). East African Medical survey annual report 1951, East African High Commission.

Indigenous vegetables of the Tabora region in 1967?

A large amount of different green leafy vegetables was used as a side dish in Uyui. Some of these leaves were dried before cooking and others were used when fresh.

Leaves used during the survey date of 23rd to 29th of October 1967 were:

• Mchicha (type of spinach)
  
• Kisamvu (cassava leaves)
  
• Mlenda (leaves which are slimy when soaked or cooked, e.g. Okra leaves)
  
• Nswalu
  
• Nsansa (dried cowpea leaves)
  
• Majani ya kunde (cowpeas leaves)
  
• Mboga ya matango
  

Source: Tanzania National Nutrition Unit (1967). Report of a dietary survey in Tabora region. Tanzania, The Tanzania National Nutrition Unit: 1-11.

PDF: Report of a dietary survey in Tabora region_1967

List of determinations on native vegetable plants collected on Ukara Island, Lake Viktoria Nyanza, Tanganyika

PDF: Native vegetable plants on Ukara island_1951

Analysis of some important foodstuffs of Usambara 1966-1967

Chemical analysis on:

• Fresh bananas for cooking
  
• Dried bananas
  
• Comparison of nutrient contents referred to dry matter
  
• Sweet potatoes
  
• Fruit bananas, different species
  
• Nutrient content of some foods commonly used in North-eastern Tanzania
  

PDF: Nutrition and health in Usambara 1966

"Wild" green leafy vegetables in Ulanga

In Ulanga wild green vegetables were consumed on a broad basis. They were available all year round and even obtainable in the dry seasons.
Leave from the following cultivated food items were consumed:

• Legumes
  
• Cassava
  
• Pumpkin
  
• Sweet potato
  

PDF: A study of factors governing the food supply in Ulanga, Tanganyika Territory 1939

Edible wild vegetables in the Sukuma diet, in the lake province 1956

Material for this study was collected in Mwanza district in the following three districts:

• Rumara, a lakeside parish of Ilemera chiefdom
  
• Bunyamhanda, parish of Bunegeji
  
• Four parishes of Nassa chiefdom
  

Table (in the Appendix): Edible wild vegetables

PDF: A preliminary enquiry into Sukama diet in the Lake Province, Tanganyika Territory 1956

Vegetables of the Haya

• Which wild vegetables were consumed by the Haya in Bukoba?
• Which are their local names and how much did they cost on the local Bukoba markets in the 1950s?
• What were they used for?
  

PDF: Article: East African medical survey, Monograph No. 2_1954

The Shambala system of vegetable cultivation (Usambara)

This article provides information and data on:

• Utilisation of the land
  1. Maize: the annual crop
  2. Cropping (Crops grown in Usambara and surroundings with their autochthonous names in Kisuaheli and Kisambaa)
  3. Irrigation farming (vegetable cultivation)
  
• Animal husbandry
  
• Labour economy
  

PDF: The Shambala system of agriculture, (Usambara 1966-1967)

The nutrition situation in the Pangani Basin 1966-1967

This article provides you with information and data on:

• Area description (Geography, population, agriculture, administrative structure, communications)
  
• Socio-economic findings (family size, age and sex distribution, tribal distribution, education, occupation, vegetable cultivation and cash crop production, fertility rate, marital status of head of household)
  
• Food pattern:
  1. Prevalence of meal per area
  2. Analysis of breakfasts, suppers and main dishes
  3. Glossary of common foods and dishes
  

PDF: The nutrition situation in the Pangani Basin. Investigations into health and nutrition in East Africa

 

Created by Verena Raschke 2005 / Contact