Abo

Many of you came to an "authentic ugandan dinner" while Beckie and I were fundraising. I have to come clean with something though. The dinner wasn't all that authentic. One of the dishes we served was Abo. It was made with Jiff peanut butter and spinach from the freezer section in Meijer. Here is how abo is actually made: 

  Step 1: G-nuts (ground nuts, very similar to peanuts) are grown here and harvested at the end of the rainy season.

Step 2:The nuts all have to be separated from the plant- by hand.










 Step 3: Then shelled- by hand.



  Step 4: Then mashed- by hand of course.

 

  Step 5: Then ground it between two rocks- by hand. And if not done carefully you can lose just a little skin off of your knuckles. It gets pretty slippery.

  This little cutey is Helen's daughter Ruth. (Helen is the woman that we have hired so that Beckie and I have clean clothes once in a while and so Helen has a little income.) She got to have a little taste. Helen didn't let us taste at this step.



  Steps 6-14: The leaves of the abo plant have to be picked, cleaned and sorted. (And any little bugs taken off!)



  Step 15: Then boil it all together. Enjoy!
Don't forget to gather the firewood, get the water from the bore hole, and a whole variety of other things that I've forgotten to include. And this meal isn't any more work than any other meal Helen has to prepare every day to keep her family fed.



 Don't worry, next time I make Abo for you it will be much more authentic! I know you are looking forward to it...