Akaro/Oburo: The Heart of Nkore's Culinary Heritage

Akaro/oburo is one of Nkore's most treasured dishes. 

It is believed to be a food that brings strength and was common on the dinner menu ahead of the next day's work.

Months through the processes of tilling the ground,planting,weeding ,harvesting and drying the millet,the millet is kept in sacks and huge baskets in granular form.The brown grains are ground to flour by use of a grinding stone (now scarce) 'orubengo' or milling machine. 

Prior to milling,the millet is separated as plain millet for flour meant for millet porridge 'obushera',some grains can be soaked in water for days to have them ferment to be ground and used as a sweetener 'amamya' in porridge served as a soft drink 'obushera obuteire/obwamamy' and the rest is mixed with cassava flour for preparing millet bread. The cassava flour helps with softening of the final product.    

Once ground,the flour is carefully stored in large baskets and sacks and covered to avoid contamination with dirt,rodents and liquids. Baskets are preferred because they keep the flour out of reach of moisture.

PREPARATION:

Water is boiled to boiling point in pots and sauce pans. It's important to know how much water you have boiled visa vie the amount of flour and the number of mouths to feed because the more the water, the more the flour and the bigger the banquet.

Regulate the fire by reducing the amount of fuel burning,pour flour to the boiling water till there's almost no sight of water,use a mingling stick 'orwiko' to mingle,turning the dough side to side,minding the base of the pot for better results. It's important pinch the dough to test the softness. Karo is widely preferred as a fast food to prepare,once flour is readily available.

Preparation of karo  usually took two people to prepare,one mingling and the other helping to keep the pot from falling off the cooking stones.An old Ankole joke is told how a man stared at her wife's inner thighs as she mingled and observing that the man had lost focus,she said to him "ekyoriiho nokirarira" translated as 'you'll have for dinner what your eyes are stuck on'

Once the meal was ready,a little flour was applied on the inside of small baskets known as endiiro. 

This was done to avoid the millet from sticking to the walls of the basket,keeping the millet warm and giving it a 'smart look'. Baskets came in different sizes for different mouths.One for the father,guests,rest of the family,usually bigger than the rest.The millet was shaken to have the little flour on the insides of the basket apply allover it and to form a large ball.

The millet was and can be served with a range of sauces,from beans,beef,fish,(lately) g.nuts and the signature eshabwe.

It's eaten by making small rolls 'enogo' in one's hand,forming a small hole in the ball with one's thumb,dipping in the sauce to fill the hole and taking it down a trip down the alimentary canal,by the way without chewing.  

Millet was never let to display naked like you'll meet at gatherings and in homes today for it hardens,dries quickly and doesn't appeal to the eye anymore.

After eating,the left over millet was never dumped in the kitchen sink or bin outside the kitchen,the millet was sliced in definite shapes known as 'emyate',first cutting off the surface with thread,banana fibre or sisal. The slices were carried as bites to the garden the next day,eaten for another meal with warmed sauce and a quick snack like all breeds of munchies in your house.

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