Burundi: vegan beans and bananas

From our vacation in The Bahamas, we return to East Africa where we visit Burundi. For this visit, we are making a filling and simple dish of beans and bananas, a Burundi classic featuring two important Burundi ingredients. Read on to learn a little of Burundi cuisine and the dish or jump straight to the recipe.

Burundian cuisine

Burundi is a small country in East Africa neighbouring The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The country has plenty of mountains, forests, and savannahs yet agriculture plays a very important role in Burundi food, with some 80% of the country being dedicated to it ​[1], [2]​. Agriculture is also one of the country’s most important sources of revenue, with the export of tea and coffee dominating ​[3]​. A few animals, in particular goats and sheep, are kept but eating meat is rare, making up less than 2% of the daily food ​[1], [4]​. Fish is eaten near Lake Tanganyika ​[4]​.

With a largely plant-based country, the number of vegan dishes in Burundi is really high ​[1], [2], [4]–[6]​. Fruits and vegetables are everywhere. Common starches include igitoki or matoke (similar to plantain), plantain, cassava, sweet potato, rice, and corn. Legumes like beans (in particular red beans), peas, and groundnuts/peanuts are included in many meals. Red kidney beans are particularly plentiful ​[7]​. Red palm oil is often used and spices primarily include onion, chili, and garlic.

Vegan dishes in Burundi

With meat and fish playing such a small role in Burundian cuisine, finding vegan dishes was very simple ​[1], [5], [7], [8]​. You will find exciting vegetable-based dishes like isombe (cassava leaves with peanuts and tomatoes), ndizi (plantain fried in red palm oil), and ugali (cassava or corn flour “porridge”, similar to West African fufu). Beans are a really important staple in Burundi ​[7]​. Beans can be found in dishes like ibiharage (refried beans), marahagwe (a bean soup/stew with coconut milk, potatoes, and vegetables), and pounded beans, where beans are mashed and served with hominy (which sounds a lot like the samp and beans we made for South Africa). Among the many bean dishes, one dish in particular stood out to me: beans and bananas.

Vegan beans and bananas

Starchy bananas called igitoki or matoke are very common in Burundian cuisine. These bananas are similar to plantain but slightly shorter. Matoke are used in many different dishes such as boiled and mashed as a starchy side dish or fried similar to plantain slices. Matoke is also enjoyed as a stew with peanutbutter, tomatoes and leafy greens ​[9]​, not unlike the domoda we made for Gambia in West Africa or the fumbwa we made for the DRC in Central Africa. Juice extracted from matoke can be mixed with sorghum and fermented to create urwarwa and isongo, two alcoholic brews ​[10]​. Another popular way to cook matoke is together with beans, to create a filling and slightly sweet dish.

Beans and bananas is a popular East African dish with few ingredients ​[11]–[16]​. Onions are fried in red palm oil before beans and bananas are mixed in. Red kidney beans are the most common bean but some cooks prefer black-eyed peas ​[14]​. Some cooks also add tomatoes, garlic, and ginger ​[13]​ or use Maggi cubes (Nestlé’s MSG heavy stock cubes popular in many parts of Africa) instead of salt ​[13], [14]​.

Matoke

Usually, igitoki or matoke are used for the beans and bananas recipe but plantains are more easy to find here in Canada so that is what I used here. While they are both low in sugar, very starchy, and need to be cooked before eating. There are a few differences between matoke and plantains ​[17]​. Matoke are shorter and appear stubbier than plantains and are more often cooked green while plantain are often used green or yellow. Matoke also have a thinner peel but is harder to peel. One trick is to boil the matoke before peeling ​[9]​. For cooking, both matoke and plantains can be boiled, fried, grilled, baked, steamed, roasted etc.

Conclusion

Burundian beans and bananas are more interesting than they might sound. Chili and onion give flavour while the plantain gives a bit of sweetness and a slight hint of acidity. The red palm oil adds its unique flavour with mild hints of smokiness. The dish is very starchy and I was reminded a bit of root vegetable mash, A Swedish classic where potatoes and rutabaga are mashed together.

Vegan beans and bananas recipe

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Vegan beans and bananas

Beans and bananas are a Burundian classic, combining two important ingredients from the country's kitchen. A starchy side or a meal of its own, you choose.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Burundi, East African

Keyword banana, beans, plantain

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1 can red kidney beans 400 g
• 2 green plantains
• ½-1 tsp ground chili optional
• ½ onion
• 3-4 tbsp red palm oil or other cooking oil
• salt to taste
• 400 mL water

Instructions

• Peel and slice the plantains. Slice the onion.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the onions and fry them until translucent.
• Stir in the kidney beans, salt, chili and plantains. Stir.
• Add about 400 mL water.
• Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the plantains are starting to fall apart.

References