Matooke, also known as ebitookye in south western Uganda, and ibitoke in Rwanda, is the fruit of a variety of starchy banana, commonly referred to as cooking/green bananas. The fruit is harvested green, carefully peeled and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. In Uganda and Rwanda, the fruit is steam-cooked, and the mashed meal is considered a national dish in both countries. Bananas/plantains were a common staple crop around the Lake Victoria area of Uganda, and in the West and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania.
Matooke are peeled, wrapped in the plant's leaves (or plastic bags), and set in a cooking pot atop the banana stalks. The pot is then placed on a charcoal or wood fire and the matooke is steamed for a couple of hours, water is poured into the bottom of the cooking pot multiple times. While uncooked, the matooke is white and fairly hard; cooking turns it soft and yellow. It is then mashed while still wrapped in the leaves or bags and often served on a fresh banana leaf. It is typically eaten with a sauce made of vegetables, ground peanut, or some type of meat (goat or beef).
Matooke are also used to make a popular breakfast dish called Katogo in Uganda. Katogo is commonly cooked as a combination of the peeled bananas and peanuts or beef, though offal or goats meat are also common. In Bukoba, Tanzania, matooke are cooked with meat or smoked catfish, and beans or groundnuts. This method eliminates the need for preparing a separate sauce. In this recipe, the matooke are not mashed. Up until the early 1980s, this was the most common meal in Bukoba and would be eaten year round.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the large series Birds, issued on October, 9, 1992. The second is part of the definitive stamp series Flowering Plants of Uganda, about which I wrote here.
References
Matoke - Wikipedia
Sender: Deo Niyongeso
Sent from Kampala (Uganda), on 08.12.2016
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