NEWS
22-04-2021 by redazione
The renewal of the DPCM by Prime Minister Draghi last March did not change anything in fact regarding travel beyond Europe, i.e. the so-called 'Schengen area'. Thus, travel for tourism remains officially prohibited
ENVIRONMENT
19-04-2021 by redazione
Crows are increasing dramatically on the coast and residents are again organising themselves, as they did some 20 years ago, to restore the right biological balance by controlling their reproduction.
The Indian House Crow, known as the Indian House Crow, likes...
PARKS
13-04-2021 by redazione
Kakamega Forest is the last corner in Kenya of the great tropical rainforest that stretched across central Africa.
Located in north-western Kenya, 35 km from Lake Victoria, the Kakamega Forest stretches along an undulating terrain between the Yala and Isiukhu rivers at an altitude of about 1600 metres
OPINION
10-04-2021 by redazione
I don't think that Kenyans know the nursery rhyme that my grandmother used to sing to me when I was a child: "it's raining, it's raining, the cat doesn't move, we light the candle, we say good evening..." also because here candles are expensive and wear out quickly, better the paraffin lantern (hoping that some eco-fuel will arrive soon, and not only to the rich of the West).
NEWS
06-04-2021 by redazione
The business of so-called 'green gold' has also arrived on the Kenyan coast.
We are talking about bamboo and its cultivation for commercial purposes.
Two years ago in Europe there was a boom in the cultivation of giant bamboo, which until then had been...
IRONY
02-04-2021 by redazione
The allergy of Italians to foreign languages is well known.
When they go abroad, their ignorance is often backed up by very valid alibis ("the teacher hated me at school", "during a trip to England I caught chicken pox") and some venial lies...
INFO
29-03-2021 by redazione
We have been recommending this for months now, despite the fact that several compatriots continue to bring their testimonies, especially through social media, on the fact that they managed to leave anyway: it is advisable to take the PCR swab even when leaving Kenya, and to do so in one of the...
PEOPLE
24-03-2021 by redazione
A biographical book recounts the adventurous life between Kenya and Italy of Lyduska de Nordis, who died in Nairobi in 2006 at the age of 85.
"Lyduska, the life between two worlds of the Countess of Salcano", written by the Friulian journalist Anna Cecchini and published by Mgs Press.
PLANTS OF KENYA
19-03-2021 by redazione
Moringa: the tree of life, the miracle tree or even the immortal plant.
It is a member of the Moringaceae family, of which at least 13 species are known, ranging from...
LEGENDS
15-03-2021 by redazione
Modern Kenya still lives on legends and revered characters from the past, including sorcerers, traditional healers and seers.
One of the most important and well-known was called Gor Mahia and, although he lived in the nineteenth century, his name is ...
PARKS
08-03-2021 by redazione
They call it 'Tarzan's Paradise'.
The azure pools formed by the waterfalls of the Ngare Ndare forest, amidst liana rocks and wild animals are unquestionably one of Kenya's wonders to...
PARKS
01-03-2021 by redazione
In 1972, the Kenyan Government declared the area east of Lake Turkana, between the Tulor Bor River to the north and Allia Bay to the south, a national park under the name Sibiloi.
PARKS
22-02-2021 by redazione
Lake Turkana, also called the Jade Sea because of the remarkable, almost incandescent colour of its waters, which appear surprisingly blue and...
MUSIC
18-02-2021 by redazione
Job Seda aka Ayub Ogada, born in Mombasa in 1956 but originally from the Lake Victoria region bordering Uganda and who passed away in...
PLACES
08-02-2021 by redazione
Aberdare National Park is located in the central-western region of Kenya, about 150 km north of Nairobi.
The park takes its name from the surrounding Aberdare Range, the third largest in Kenya, and covers an area of just under 700 square kilometres in the...
NATURE
01-02-2021 by redazione
The small and beautiful Lake Kamnarok is at risk of drying out and crocodiles are the first to suffer. Now a European project is trying to save it and restore it to its former glory.
PLACES
25-01-2021 by redazione
Watamu may seem at first glance to be one of the many villages on the African coast, consisting simply of a small cluster of hotels, a strip of private houses on the beach, a cluttered and poor village shaded by...
PARKS
20-01-2021 by redazione
Amboseli National Park is undoubtedly one of Kenya's most popular parks, and we can agree that the reason for its fame is Mount Kilimajaro, which stands out as a stunning backdrop, visible from every point in the park.
Covering an area of 392 square kilometres, Amboseli is a rather small park within...
PLACES
18-01-2021 by redazione
One entry for each letter of the alphabet is certainly not enough to contain all the wonders and peculiarities of a unique and varied country like Kenya.
Cradle of humanity, a place that more than any other personifies the so-called...
PLACES
14-01-2021 by redazione
Twelve kilometres north of Malindi and about thirty kilometres from Watamu, after the bridge over the mouth of the Sabaki River, where flamingos and hippos can be seen and where the vegetation is particularly luxuriant, lies the village of Mambrui.
NEWS
11-01-2021 by redazione
Until a few years ago Watamu was an unknown destination for many Kenyans from the north and inland.
In recent months, and in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, those who wanted to spend their holidays outside the big cities and in seaside resorts were...
RECIPES
07-01-2021 by redazione
One of the traditional dishes of Sub-Saharan Africa is okra soup.
In Arabic, 'okra' is the name given to the tasty little courgettes with grooves found at every market stall, which the English call 'Lady's fingers', while in...
CULTURE
04-01-2021 by redazione
PLANTS OF KENYA
21-12-2020 by redazione
At first glance it looks like a miniature baobab, with the base of the trunk being very bulky and swollen, formed by both the roots and the stem, and the ...
PLACES
14-12-2020 by redazione
Just inside the many inlets of Mombasa Island, on the Kwale County side, the Tsunza Peninsula is one of the most accessible and least known natural paradises on the Kenyan coast.
IMAGES
12-12-2020 by redazione
Experience a day immersed in the pristine and enchanting nature of this marine protected reserve, the Mida Creek.
TOURISM
07-12-2020 by redazione
In recent years gastronomic tourism has grown considerably all over the world.
This is due to the popularity of certain programmes and also to the media coverage of dishes and restaurants, especially in social networks.
TOURISM
30-11-2020 by redazione
One of the symbols of the Kenyan coast is undoubtedly the dhow, the typical Swahili boat.
Once only sailing, today also with the support of the engine, the dhow from...
PRODUCTS
26-11-2020 by redazione
If you are a sweet tooth, you cannot miss the ecstasy of tasting Halwa.
Its name derives from the Arabic word "helw" which literally means sweet, it is a really delicious dessert that is widespread throughout the Middle East, Asia and some African countries.
BOOKS
14-11-2020 by Freddie del Curatolo
Giuseppe Ungaretti, who was born in Africa, called it "the hour that clouds and dismisses".
Karen Blixen distinguished it from dawn for that extra hint of melancholy, of the annunciation of the mysterious and treacherous night.
In Kenya, along the line of the Equator and particularly on the coast, the brief moment from...
KENYA COAST
08-11-2020 by redazione
Mombasa is certainly the oldest city in Kenya and one of the historical ports of East Africa. The other landings mentioned as early as the tenth century AD by early navigators, are now ruins of cities (such as Kilwa in Tanzania or Sofala in Mozambique) or have remained minor settlements.
26-10-2020 by redazione
The macadamia of Kenya is increasingly coveted and in addition to having many uses, it is becoming a business for those who grow its plant in the Rift Valley.
CULTURE
13-10-2020 by redazione
The Kiswahili language, originally from the coast of the same name that goes from the north of Mozambique to the Horn of Africa and later adopted also by the rest of East Africa, particularly by...
NATURE
29-09-2020 by redazione
It all began in 1997 when a group of local residents from Watamu decided it was time to take action to protect sea turtles in the area and Watamu Turtle Watch was born. Fast forward to today, 21 years later, and Local Ocean Conservation
21-09-2020 by redazione
The beauty of nature around Watamu is the first calling card of this wonderful resort in Kenya.
Twenty kilometres before Malindi, arriving from Mombasa and Kilifi, after the...
MAL D'AFRIQUE
07-09-2020 by Giorgio Ferro
Watamukenya.net remembers one of the Italians who best told about the love for this country and its contradictions
NATURE
25-08-2020 by redazione
The elephant, as well as a species to be protected for its precious tusks, can increasingly prove to be a friend of man and Nature.
Certainly the biggest, but also the most useful in things you would not expect. A study by the American Lifesaving has found that even...
PLACES
17-08-2020 by redazione
The Bio Ken Snake farm in Watamu is definitely one of the most interesting and useful places to visit in the tourist town.
The structure that houses the largest collection of snakes in..
HISTORY
13-08-2020 by redazione
From ancient Arabic writings, we know that the Arabuko forest stretched from just outside Malindi almost to Kilifi and was populated by wild beasts, poisonous snakes (cobra especially) and elephants, who often came down to unexplored beaches and bays protected by barrier Reef.
There were no docks for ships, but dangerous "dry" so to Kilifi was good habit for travelers, surf off the coast until he glimpsed the Bay of Malindi.
Around 1300, the Arab community of Gede town, of which the ruins still remain today, makes a way in the forest in order to reach an outlet to the sea, in the Watamu Bay.
From there he developed a fishing village and the Arabs now established on the coast mingled with the local Giriama, creating a Bajun community that began flourishing boat trade with Lamu and Takaungu.
PLACES
08-08-2020 by redazione
The beauty of nature around Watamu is the first calling card of this wonderful Kenyan resort.
Twenty kilometers before Malindi, arriving from Mombasa and Kilifi, after the villages of Chumani and Matsangoni, you meet...
NATURE
04-08-2020 by redazione
STORIES
02-08-2020 by redazione
Tsavorite, the green stone named after the Tsavo National Park, was discovered in 1967 by the Scottish geologist Campbell Bridges.
Since then it is more and more famous abroad than in Kenya and Tanzania, the only countries where it is found.
PRODUCTS
31-07-2020 by redazione
Kenya is increasingly the ideal environment for tamarind, present on the Swahili coast since it was brought and planted from India a thousand years ago.
Tamarindus Indica is a majestic, long-lived evergreen belonging to the leguminous family.
HISTORICAL PLACES
29-07-2020 by redazione
Gede is located between Malindi and Kilifi, in the coastal region of Kenya, 94 km north of the city of Mombasa.
Its ruins tell of historical un'insediamento, one of the oldest in the coastal area of East Africa which has remained track. The town, which seems would host 3,000 people, was abandoned in the late 1500s the abandonment causes uncertain, but it is likely that it was an attack of the dreaded Somali Galla tribes, driven out of Malindi, destroying a large part of that civilization.
NATURE
28-07-2020 by redazione
With the change of season and the winter and monsoon "Kuzi" wind, the mouth of the Sabaki River is filled with rare, colourful and beautiful tropical birds.
It is now a custom, but every year...
STORIES
26-07-2020 by redazione
Let's pick up a passage we translated, taken from an amusing, ironic and by now unobtainable booklet by the Kenyan journalist and writer Binyavanga Wainaina, who unfortunately left us in May last year, who makes fun of the commonplaces of Western writers who are struggling with the African subject.
PLACES
23-07-2020 by redazione
Few people know Lake Chala.
Located half in Kenya and the other half in Tanzania, under Kilimanjaro, between the towns of Taveta and Loitokitok, Chala is a crater four square kilometers in diameter surrounded by greenery.
NATURE
13-07-2020 by redazione
On the coast of Kenya there are many trees of Baobab (adansonia digitata) and many, in addition to the statuesque beauty that is one of the symbols, almost a "logo" of Africa, have also discovered its wonderful properties.... fake watches
NATURE
11-07-2020 by redazione
Mood in Kenya is indeed an essential component of life and not only for man, who often finds here the "peace of the senses" or the sense of his earthly path. Science now tells us that some animals can completely change their connotations depending on how they feel inside.
This is the case of... replica watches
FOOD IN KENYA
03-07-2020 by redazione
We are well aware of the history and travails of the African continent: few strains and thousands of tribes scattered over an area of about 30 million square kilometers, who have paid a bitter duty to the evolution of the Western world, suffering equal treatment in every corner of their wild and sunny land.
Like the peoples and nature, the cuisine has suffered from European colonization....
PLACES
02-07-2020 by redazione
It was 1898, in the port of Mombasa British ships began to arrive from India, loaded with goods and tools to build the famous railway that would connect what was then the first city of Kenya, as well as the most important port in East Africa, with the protectorate of Uganda.
Many of the Queen's subjects had already gone inland and had identified the marshy area that the maasai called Nai'robi (cold water field) as the crossroads of the new railway line.
STORIES
28-06-2020 by redazione
Many famous labels of spirits and distillates in the world hide, behind their sometimes curious names, sometimes resounding, curious legends or interesting implications related to their founders or places of production.
This is the case of Kenya's national beer, now a real trademark of the country, not only for thousands of domestic consumers, but for tourists and travellers.
TRADITIONS
26-06-2020 by Ferdinanda Vigliani
East coast of Africa.
The boundaries of that linguistic and cultural unity known as Swahili culture range from Mogadishu in the north to Cape Delgado in Mozambique.
A long coastline shared by a single language: the kiswahili, a mixture of Arabic and bantu, whose texts date back to the 12th century.
But a strong visual element, a fashion system that dominates women's clothing, imposes itself in this area in the eyes of the traveller.
It is an explosion of colour, a display of shapes and symbolic elements, a touch of elegance that not even the poorest woman could ever give up: kanga.
PLACES
22-06-2020 by redazione
The natives call it “Nyari”, a giriama word that means “the place crumbling naturally by itself”.
Marafa village is in Magarini district, just forty kilometres down Malindi area, less than one hour drive, mostly on a good dirt road studded by baobabs and mangoes.
STORIES
16-06-2020 by redazione
The great American writer Ernest Hemingway was almost 35 years old, when he saw Kenya for the first time.
He, a great vivour and passionate of strong emotions, a hunter of women and animals, had long been fond of deep-sea fishing.
From the Florida villa, with the Pilar boat, purchased with the proceeds of the first novels published at home, he decided to carry out an expedition in the heart of Africa where he could match the passion for marlin and shark fishing to big hunting.
ENVIRONMENT
15-06-2020 by redazione
The coral reef is one of Watamu's and Kenyan Indian Ocean attractions.
Off the tourist resort, the first barrier is present from the entrance of Mida Creek to Malindi without interruption and has allowed over time and thanks to the tides, the formation of the famous sand atolls off Mayungu.
The first barrier, when the low tide is particularly low, emerges at the water level and is also walking on foot, although their beauty is to be discovered by snorkeling, or swimming deep in mask and fins if Not in "diving" with even oxygen cylinders.
PLACES
13-06-2020 by redazione
Among the thousands of possibilities to enjoy Nature that Kenya, and particularly its coast, can boast, there is certainly the sea landscape dominated by mangroves.
These plants, which have their roots in soils which feed on water from the Indian Ocean, form really particular landscapes.
PLACES
05-06-2020 by redazione
AFRICAN POEM
30-05-2020 by Freddie del Curatolo
Watamu the beautiful.
Malindi the magic.
Watamu the young and sparkling.
Ancient Malindi but still interesting.
ART AND CULTURE
27-05-2020 by redazione
"Africa."
How many times have we heard this word, this evocation, in a piece of music?
Hundreds are the pop songs whose title bears the name of the Black Continent, every language and nation has its own song.
Here is the playlist of malindikenya.net with the 10 most beautiful songs for us dedicated to Africa.
RECIPES
22-05-2020 by redazione
Chutney is a typical English sweet and sour sauce made with fruit or green tomatoes. It is excellent as a sauce to flavor meat and fish foods....
PLACES
20-05-2020 by redazione
There’s an ancient story, two hundred metres from the tall bridge over Kilifi creek, along the Mombasa-Malindi highway, on the southern bank of the creek, just where the old ferry landing stage is.
On the top of the hill you can
RECIPES
16-05-2020 by redazione
On the African shores of the Indian Ocean, combining fish with fruit is not a gamble, but a pleasant contrast.
On the other hand, if the fish fauna goes so well with lemon, why not also dare with passion fruit, mango, pineapple and papaya?
Here, for example,
PRODUCTS
10-05-2020 by redazione
Global climate change, which also affects Kenya in part, has both positive and negative effects on the fertile land of the African equator.
One of these, given the ever closer temporal and climatic connection between the great rains, between May and July, and the small rains of October and November, is the presence of the edible fungi on the Kenyan territory.
TOURISM
08-05-2020 by redazione
Kenya is one of the most varied and extraordinarily rich in unique opportunities, emotions for everyone and attractions for every kind of enthusiast or adventure expert. If for many people the African country is above all synonymous with wild nature, relaxation and immersion in a world opposite to the western world, for others it has become more and more a destination for those who want to experience "strong sensations" or devote themselves to extreme sports, as well as enjoy new shows from incredible views.
Here is a list of ten organized adventures that Kenya can offer to tourists and travelers when they return to this beautiful country.
07-05-2020 by redazione
RECIPES
05-05-2020 by redazione
Crab soup with ginger is a traditional dish of the Lamu archipelago.
The local people, especially on the island of Pate, usually eat this dish with coconut rice or chapati.
Here is the original recipe reworked by watamukenya.net
PLACES
04-05-2020 by redazione
RECIPES
30-04-2020 by redazione
Kaimati are characteristic sweets of Kenya, and particularly of the Swahili coast, similar to our carnival tortelli, not stuffed.
They are often garnished with a caramelized icing and sprinkled with white sugar.
HERE IS THE RECIPE
01-12-2019 by redazione
The success of Watamu in this season (first coastal destination for influx of tourists, the best "leisure" destination in Kenya, second only to Zanzibar in all Sub-Saharan Africa) is due not only to those who...
At a time when the tourism crisis linked to the pandemic has led to drops in attendance of up to 75%, coastal hoteliers are trying to revitalise the sector with events and improved services.
HISTORY
04-03-2021 by redazione
Many who know Kenya's history are convinced that Christianity was brought here by German missionaries who opened the first Catholic mission in...
AFRICAN WORDS
25-02-2021 by redazione
We have selected ten sentences that express a feeling dedicated to Africa, understood more as a spiritual and moral, historical and social entity than as a geographical reality. The selected words are all taken from published...
CINEMA
15-02-2021 by redazione
The Lion King, a photorealistic computer-generated animation film, released in cinemas in 2019 has earned the number seven position among the highest-grossing films in cinema history.
DISCOVERIES
11-02-2021 by redazione
In the markets and on the edges of many roads of Kenya you can see the sellers of this tuber (already, usually they are women, the real productive and commercial engine of this continent).
BOOKS
27-01-2021 by redazione
"My fight to save Africa's natural treasures'.
This is the eloquent subtitle of an autobiography co-written with journalist Virginia Morell.
The life of the founder of the Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya's staunchest defender of wild animals.
RECIPES
10-12-2020 by redazione
We have already talked about and proposed a classic recipe of matoke or green banana, but today we want to propose you a sweet, unpublished version: matoke in coconut cream and cardamom.
This fruit is very similar to the banana, but only in...
Kuki Gallmann had "a story to tell".
This novel is his story.
The torrid heat that is continuing in these days on the Kenyan coast could favour the presence of snakes, particularly green and black mamba and more rarely cobras.
Here is a decalogue of precautions reported by KWS.
FILM
19-11-2020 by redazione
The incredible story of Robin Cavendish told in this film released in 2017, whose original title is "Breathe".
It is a Hollywood production starring the young Andrew Garfield (Spider Man, The social network) who plays the protagonist of a true story of the last century from Kenya.
PLACES
16-11-2020 by redazione
The Portuguese presence in Malindi began with the arrival of Vasco de Gama in 1498. It is known that the chapel was built at the end of the 15th century. It is rather surprising that the authorities of an ancient Islamic city authorised the construction of a Christian church.
Karen Dinesen Blixen lived in Kenya from 1914 to 1931.
She came there from the icy Denmark with her husband, baron Von Blixen, to buy a plot on the hills Ngong, near Nairobi, and build then a farm.
Rather being a farmer, the baron was actually more interested in the big game hunting and the young masai women.
It was his fault that Karen was infected by syphilis and had to come back to Denmark to follow treatments.
At that moment, she realized she was a writer and learned what is mal d'Afrique.
06-11-2020 by redazione
Climate change, the difficulty of having two maize harvests a year and problems with pest control products are convincing many farmers to focus on the tuber, which can also be processed into flour.
MAL D'AFRIQUE
15-10-2020 by Leon Mufasa
My mal d'Afrique is dedicated to those who have never been in Africa.
PICTURES
11-10-2020 by redazione
RECIPES
09-10-2020 by redazione
STORIES
23-09-2020 by Freddie del Curatolo
RECIPES
17-09-2020 by redazione
Fish morsels in mango sauce.
This is a Swahili recipe particularly used in Malindi and Watamu and on the coast of Kenya, where the plants of this delicious tropical fruit abound.
Here is for you the recipe of watamukenya.net
PRODUCTS
15-09-2020 by redazione
Cinnamon or cinnamon is an evergreen tree of the Lauracee family, originally from Sri Lanka but widely spread throughout the East.
Today it is also cultivated in Tanzania and partly in Kenya...
PLACES
13-09-2020 by redazione
Put a magnificent structure that looks like a tower designed by Gaudi in the middle of the virgin forest of Watamu, about a hundred meters from the ocean and the white long beach between Turtle Bay and Garoda.
RECIPES
09-09-2020 by redazione
Visheti or Vikokoto are sweet, crunchy, sugar-coated fried dough morsels, one of the many specialities of the coastal area from Mombasa to Lamu, Kenya. They are very similar to...
PEOPLE
02-09-2020 by redazione
We live in a historical period where art, in addition to the intrinsic and historical value as bearer of beauty and stimulator of the mind, assumes an important social role; it fights for the protection of the environment and community between peoples.
Viewed this way...
The Swahili cuisine has an infinity of delicious sweet dishes that, especially during the Ramadan period, you can discover and taste and then propose them on our tables.
The vipopoo or...
PRODUCTS
28-08-2020 by redazione
It is a spice native to the Indian sub-continent, present on the African coasts of the Indian Ocean already in 1300 and brought to Europe by the English in the past centuries. Its name is..
RECIPES
23-08-2020 by redazione
The ugali, composed of posho or sima, i.e. cornmeal and a side dish that can be meat, fish or vegetables, is the unique dish typical of Kenya and especially of the coast.
NATURE
21-08-2020 by redazione
That's about 20 in the world, one per country.
In the Black Continent only in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and South Africa. And the Kenyan one is in Watamu
NATURE
19-08-2020 by redazione
As every year, at this time of year, we find ourselves commenting and marveling at an effect of marine nature, which, thanks to the currents and water temperature, favours the migration of yellow fin tuna, which pass between
SPICES
15-08-2020 by redazione
Cumin is one of the most popular spices in the world and grows on all continents.
It comes from a herbaceous plant (Cuminum cyminum) with leaves as long as 10 cm and arranged in a comb, which has very ancient origins.
The seeds of cumin are practically similar to those of fennel or aniseed.
RECIPES
11-08-2020 by redazione
Cutlets, snacks similar to our potato croquettes, are very popular on the Kenyan coast to be eaten on the street or in the many local restaurants.
Usually they are filled with meat, but we offer a tuna version, easy and quick to prepare at home with few ingredients.
PRODUCTS
06-08-2020 by redazione
Richly owned, Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), also known by the English name Ginger, is a perennial herbaceous plant, about 90cm high and belonging to the Zingiberaceae family...
RECIPES
24-07-2020 by redazione
Although originally from South America, papaya has spread widely in Kenya and is well integrated into Swahili cuisine. An interesting and tasty example is...
PRODUCTS
21-07-2020 by redazione
It is also easily found in Kenya, the fruit of Guava.
The Psidium guajava is a small evergreen plant that offers different fruits in colour depending on the variety:...
Chapati is a traditional bread brought to Kenya from the Indian tradition, but then evolved throughout the country and today baked in the streets, in poor places as well as in high level establishments as an accompaniment for dishes.
Its simple and quick preparation makes it a tasty and filling dish to pair with beans, vegetables or meat dishes and soups.
HERE THE RECIPE
SOCIETY
17-07-2020 by redazione
Since there is tourism in Kenya, and particularly in the coastal resorts, there is a fashion among westerners (the so-called mzungu) to braid their hair in African style.
PLACES
15-07-2020 by redazione
Located between Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru, however small, Lake Elmenteita (also known as Elemantaita) is one of the most important in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, as it is the breeding and feeding ground for many rare and endangered bird species...
The mshakiki are meat skewers, similar in presentation to the traditional roasts of central Italy.
They can be beef, chicken or kid and ideal, before preparation, is the maturation of the meat in the fridge and marinating with oil, salt, pepper and lemon.
The coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm, scientific name Cocos nucifera, a plant belonging to the Arecaceae family and native to Indonesia, but thanks to the ability of coconuts to float on seawater and maintain the ability to germinate after 110 days of immersion (a period in which they can travel up to 5000 kilometers) has spread naturally in many places around the globe.
PLACES
06-07-2020 by redazione
The Galana Conservancy is one of the true wildlife treasures of County Kilifi and Kenya.
This 60,000 acre wildlife paradise is located on the eastern border of the Tsavo East National Park, on the northern banks of the Galana River, about 120 km from Malindi and thanks to the new paved road can be reached in less than an hour. The protected area is home to many wonderful species, some unfortunately endangered and threatened.
BEVERAGE
05-07-2020 by redazione
It is one of the most detox drinks you can taste on the Kenyan coast, and particularly in Lamu, in some Swahili bars that offer fresh juices (the unmissable tamarind, the classic passion and many others). We are talking about beet juice and ginger.
PRODUCTS
01-07-2020 by redazione
To us at Watamukenya.net lately it happened to see them peeled and eaten by some women around the Galana River, but it is present on Lake Victoria and a little bit in all the green areas of Kenya.
In Kenyan supermarkets and the most quoted greengrocers it is not easy to find them, if not already in the form of clean and packaged berries.
We are talking about...
RECIPES
30-06-2020 by redazione
"Muhogo wa Nyama" (meat with cassava) is a typical Kenyan dish. Cassava is a tuber also known as cassava, it is used to make flour or like potatoes, both fried and stewed. Its taste is a bit reminiscent of chestnuts. In this case it can be an alternative to potatoes or green bananas for meat stew.
RECIPE:
RECIPES
25-06-2020 by redazione
The Swahili cuisine of Kenya, as we know, is a mixture of the cultures and people who have landed on the coast, and the products of the territory they have learned to use. The example is offered by the use of coconut for boiling and stirring rice and mango, which the English culture has also transformed into "chutney" sauce, using onions, spices and chilli pepper.
So here is the recipe for beef with mango chutney, accompanied by coconut rice.
PRODUCTS
24-06-2020 by redazione
You can find it in local markets, or watch it bend the branches of the plant on which it grows, the Annona muricata.
It may seem harsh with its spines and huge (a single fruit can weigh up to 2 kg), but not only is it edible, but it is one of the most beneficial fruits found in nature.
PRODUCTS
21-06-2020 by redazione
Perhaps that cucumber aftertaste may leave you bewildered for a moment, but in its bittersweet bouquet you can also taste lime, passion and banana. We're talking about Kiwano, also known as horned melon.
Belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, the Cucumis metuliferus is the fruit of a climbing plant native...
PRODUCTS
19-06-2020 by redazione
Sweet, fresh and thirst quenching Kenyan pineapple is one of the most loved fruits not only in this country.
A typical fruit of the coast, but also cultivated in the Rift Valley and around Nairobi (Thika's is particularly famous), pineapple (or pineapple, in Italian) belongs to the bromeliad family.
ENVIRONMENT
18-06-2020 by redazione
Watamu's mangroves are a natural paradise that attracts thousands of tourists, environmentalists and nature-loving travelers every year. They are a unique and fantastic natural landscape, with its microclimate and an ecosystem that allows you to observe certain types of birds, amphibians and crustaceans, such as the famous mangrove crab.
RECIPES
17-06-2020 by redazione
Chicken cooked "alla swahili" suffers, like many dishes of the Kenyan coast, from ancient mixes and suggestions between India, Middle East and other countries that have frequented the Indian Ocean of Africa.
Here is the original recipe for this tasty earth dish
RECIPES
12-06-2020 by redazione
PRODUCTS
10-06-2020 by redazione
The passion fruit is also called Maracuja and is the fruit of the Passiflora Edulis, a tropical climbing plant belonging to the Passifloraceae family.
One might think that its name evokes aphrodisiac properti
RECIPES
09-06-2020 by redazione
The "matoke" or "matoki" are green bananas, also known as plane tree, not excessively sweet, which also in Kenya, as in most of Africa, have various utilizations. Besides flour and bread, they are used as potatoes in stews.
HERE IS THE MOST POPULAR RECIPE IN KENYA
RECIPES
06-06-2020 by redazione
"Samaki wa kupaka ya nazi", literally "Coconut fish cubes" is a dish of the Swahili tradition of Kenya, which uses various spices of ancient Indian origin to give it flavor. A very tasty version includes "madras", the most common one being the classic curry.
Here is the recipe.
RECIPES
04-06-2020 by redazione
Chicken with spices and lime is a tasty land dish from the Kenyan coast.
The combination of chicken with sweet and sour is a classic in Indo-Eastern cuisine, as is the combination with ginger and turmeric.
It is not uncommon to find this dish accompanied by rice flavored with garam masala in Mombasa, Malindi an Watamu.
HERE IS THE RECIPE OF WATAMUKENYA.NET
RECIPES
02-06-2020 by redazione
The rice "pilau" is one of the most common unique dishes to be found in restaurants in Kenya, especially those on the coast. The recipe is of Middle Eastern origin, but its Swahili variant is widespread especially in Kenya and Tanzania and...
PRODUCTS
01-06-2020 by redazione
Star Fruit, as it is called in English-speaking countries like Kenya, is little known in Italy as Carambola, which comes from its plant, the Averrhoa Carambola.
On the other hand, the name of the plant itself....
In the 13th century recipe book "Kitab al tabeek", the writer Muhammad Bin Hassan Bhagdadi, whose original manuscript is still kept in
Mixed potatoes with lemon aroma and chili soul are one of the delights of Kenyan coast street food.
They are called "Viazi Karai" and are sold at every street corner, fried on the fly in the wok set up in simple kiosks or outside the local restaurants.
Here is the recipe to prepare them at home.
RECIPES
25-05-2020 by redazione
RECIPES
21-05-2020 by redazione
An ancient Swahili legend says that before the arrival of the Portuguese, the natives of the Kenyan coast did not eat avocado but only used oil, because they did not consider it as fruit or vegetables.
When the Portuguese decided that...
PRODUCTS
18-05-2020 by redazione
In Kenya they call it the fruit that protects, but the properties of papaya are many and not only limited to its emollient and anti-burning properties on the body, or to the digestive, purifying and
RECIPES
14-05-2020 by redazione
The Indian Ocean, among its wonders and fish delicacies, abounds in squid.
The local population, especially the Swahili of the coast, do not particularly love them and are used to cook them on the grill, or together with the octopus in a guazzetto with tomato sauce and coconut milk.
But there is also a recipe of Portuguese origin that we have called "Calamari alla Vasco Da Gama".
Here is the recipe from watamukenya.net:
PLACES
12-05-2020 by redazione
The Park of Lake Jipe, on the border between Kenya and Tanzania, but also accessible from the asphalt road that leads from you to Taveta, is a fantastic place where you can see....
RECIPES
11-05-2020 by redazione
Coconut beans (maharagwe za nazi) are a poor but tasty and energetic dish of the tradition of the ethnic mijikenda that populates the Kenyan coast.
Depending on who prepares it, tastes and abundance of beans, it can be cooked as a soup (more brothy) or as a cream (with more coconut milk).
Here is our recipe:
RECIPES
09-05-2020 by redazione
03-05-2020 by redazione
Cardamom is a spice known since the times of the Greeks and Romans, who used it to produce perfumes, and is currently known as the third most expensive spice in the world after saffron and vanilla.
The one available on the Kenyan coast ....
RECIPES
02-05-2020 by redazione
The goodness of free-range chicken in Kenya is no mystery. In most cases it is simply cooked on the grill, but there are dishes of Swahili cuisine that contemplate other pleasant encounters of flavors. One of these is tamarind chicken (kuku wa ukwayu).
HERE IS THE RECIPE OF WATAMUKENYA.NET
PLACES
01-05-2020 by redazione
It was called "Jumba La Mtwana", where "jumba" in kiswahili means "home".
It was an Arabic citadel built in the 13th century AD on the banks of the Indian Ocean, not far from the cove of today's Mtwapa, about twenty kilometers north of...
29-04-2020 by redazione
The real mountain of the Maasai people is Mount Suswa, a former volcano with incredible craters and caves.
Located in the heart of their land, Suswa is certainly the least known but probably the most interesting of the three famous volcanoes of the Great Rift Valley ....
RECIPES
28-04-2020 by redazione
Githeri (or Mutheri) is a typical dish based on legumes, cereals and beans, typical of the Kikuyu tradition, but also of the Embu and Meru tribes.
The recipe is now popular throughout the central region of Kenya and has its variations on Lake Victoria and the Upper Rift Valley and can also be found in some restaurants here on the coast.
PLACES
27-04-2020 by redazione
If you want to admire the rare aquatic antelope Sitatunga, there is only one park in Kenya where you can go, and it is the smallest in the whole country.
It is the Saiwa National Park, near Kitale, in the northern part of the Rift Valley.
Saiwa Park was created in 1974 specifically to protect the natural habitat and conservation of the rare Sitatunga species, and is now managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service.
RECIPES
26-04-2020 by redazione
Vibibibi" are local pancakes made with rice and coconut milk.
"Vibibibi" in kiswahili means "young ladies."
In the tradition of the Kenyan coast they are used in particular at breakfast or as a sweet appetizer before lunch.
Some people also appreciate them together with ice cream.
PLACES
25-04-2020 by redazione
A unique natural monument dominating an enchanting landscape, in an area little frequented by mass tourism in Kenya, but which is becoming a place of .....
24-04-2020 by redazione
The Zege (or Zegee) is a sort of omelette with potatoes and is one of the delicacies prepared by the kiosks and fry shops outside the
23-04-2020 by redazione
In the Luo dialect it means "the sunken village", the "Simi Nyaima" is a wonderful little volcanic lake in the Karachuonyo area of western Kenya, not far
POLLS
18-04-2017 by redazione
Jacaranda Bay is the best beach in Watamu: hundreds of fans of Africa, tourists and Italian residents who love the coast of Kenya, say that.
A week of voting, more than four preferences among readers of the two watamukenya.net malindikenya.net and portals, as many of the 5000 followers of our Facebook page and other groups and social network pages, gave the award to the first major survey .
(Read here nominations and view of the beaches gallery)
