FIRINDA: Making the most of beans

Writing this article makes one yearn to go and indulge in a meal of Firinda at New Linda Restaurant on Balya Road in Fort Portal town. Firinda, Tooro’s favourite stew is made from beans. It is strongly imbedded in the tradition of the Batooro and is the most treasured meal.

For those who are familiaR with Turkish food, this is not the Firinda you know, despite sharing the same name. This is made in Tooro. Firinda is made by peeling off the skin of beans and it is usually served with millet which for long was the staple food for Batooro, although today matooke is more popular.

What makes Firinda special is the fact that it does not contain oil, no wonder it is so popular, that it gets finished earlier on the menu of most hotels at lunch time than any other dish.

“If one comes late, one will not find it. Most people come early because the sauce gets finished earlier, so one has to be on time. People like it so much and we prepare it well with Omukaro (roasted meat)”, John Mugume, a waiter in a hotel in Fort Portal reveals.

Deo Baguma, one of the clients I met at New Linda Restaurant, says of Firinda, “It tastes good, I cannot lose appetite since it does not contain oils, it’s my favourite sauce. I grew up eating it with millet. My mother would prepare it every day. But I used to hate the removal of the outer skin which would interfere with my playing time”.

The foods that are served with Firinda include millet, banana, and mingled cassava flour. It is at times prepared with egg plants, mixed with yam leaves and pumpkin leaves to give it a better taste.

Robina Kansiime who owns a kiosk in Fort Portal reveals that if you have the right ingredients, Firinda is not hard to prepare, neither is it time consuming nor does it require any “special” equipment to preparing.

Most Batooro prefer to use yellow beans commonly referred to as Kisombwa, since it is easier to remove their skin given their size, but all types of beans can be used to make Firinda.

The party must have
Every party associated with Tooro traditions is graced with Firinda, so make sure to ask for it when you attend one. If the meal is not served, the guests will go back home complaining. The kingdom’s Ministry of Culture at times arranges exhibition of local items of cultural importance which include local dishes like Firinda. During traditional marriage ceremonies, it is always among the list of the items to be taken to the in-laws, with a basket of millet flour. It is also served with smoked meat on parties. Firinda is also taken when one is visiting the in-laws.

Firinda was also a special food in Bunyoro, but as several people kept migrating to the region especially Congolese, the name changed from Firinda to Madakwa and its importance kept fading as people say today that it is laborious to prepare, according to Jonathan Akweteireho from Masindi.

Firinda and pet names
Pet names commonly known as Empaako are important in Tooro and Bunyoro sub regions. If you have a pet name that was not given at a function of where Firinda and millet were served, the Batooro say that your pet name is fake. For someone to get a pet name therefore, millet is prepared with Firinda and Omukaro and served at that cultural function.

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