By Umar Nsubuga
Matooke is a staple food for many regions in Uganda, moreso, Central and West.
Grace Lule, a matooke trader in Kawempe market, who has been in the business for over 10 years, gives tips on how to buy the right matooke.
Varieties
Lule says a customer can tell the quality of matooke by its variety.
She, however, notes that it is not easy to differentiate the varieties by merely looking at the matooke. She, therefore, advises a customer to ask the trader.
Lule says the best variety is nakitembe because it is soft when cooked.
She says kibuzi variety comes next, followed by musakara.
“Kitika variety is not good. Even when it is fully mature, it remains hard when cooked,” Lule says.
Areas
Lule says you can also tell the quality of matooke by the area they are grown. She says although Ankole is the lead producer of matooke, Masaka has the best quality.
Colour
“If a customer wants to know the ripening lifespan of a particular variety, he has to trust the trader for that information,” Lule advises.
She says the other alternative is to ask the trader to break a piece from one matooke finger.
“If the matooke is yellowish on the inside, then it will most likely get ripe within two days. If it is white on breaking then it can go for about a week without ripening,” Lule adds.
