Why the names matter when you order
A new chef, a buyer from outside Kenya, or a supplier list written half in Swahili and half in English: this is where orders go wrong. Someone asks for kale and expects curly leaves. Someone orders arrowroot and expects a powder. The produce arrives, it is not what the menu needs, and the kitchen loses a service finding a replacement.
This glossary gives the local name, the English name and how each item is normally sold in Nairobi, so the person writing the order and the person receiving it mean the same thing. Prices change every week, so they are not listed here. You will find them on this week’s price list.
Leafy greens
Greens are where local names are used most. Almost all are sold by the bunch, and bunch sizes vary between suppliers, so agree what a bunch means before you compare prices.
| Local name | In English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sukuma wiki | Collard greens | Often labelled kale. Flat leaves, not curly. The everyday green of Kenyan kitchens. |
| Managu | African nightshade | Dark leaves, slightly bitter. Usually cooked down, often with milk or cream. |
| Terere | Amaranth leaves | Also called mchicha. Soft leaves that cook quickly. |
| Kunde | Cowpea leaves | Earthy flavour. Often mixed with other greens. |
| Saga | Spider plant | Also saget. Bitter when raw, milder once boiled. |
| Mrenda | Jute mallow | Turns silky when cooked, in the way okra does. |
| Kabichi | Cabbage | Sold by the piece or by the kilo. Check which before you compare. |
| Dhania | Coriander leaves | Also giligilani. Sold by the bunch. Wilts fast, so order little and often. |
Indigenous greens such as managu, terere, kunde and saga shrink a great deal when cooked. Plan your order from the cooked portion you need, not the raw volume.
Vegetables, roots and staples
| Local name | In English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Hoho | Capsicum, bell pepper | In full, pilipili hoho. Green is cheapest. Red and yellow cost more. |
| Pilipili | Chilli | Say which you want: hoho is sweet, pilipili kali is hot. |
| Nyanya | Tomatoes | Sold by the kilo or the crate. Ask about ripeness if you are buying for the week. |
| Kitunguu | Onions | Red onions are standard. White onions and spring onions are listed separately. |
| Kitunguu saumu | Garlic | Local garlic has smaller cloves than imported. Suppliers usually say which they stock. |
| Tangawizi | Ginger | Sold by the kilo. |
| Viazi | Potatoes | Also waru. Often called Irish potatoes, to tell them apart from sweet potatoes. |
| Ngwaci | Sweet potatoes | Also viazi vitamu, and sometimes written ngwashe. |
| Nduma | Arrowroot (taro) | A fresh root, boiled or fried. It is not the starch powder sold as arrowroot abroad. |
| Matoke | Green cooking bananas | Cooked as a starch. Not the same as plantain, and not ripe bananas. |
| Karoti | Carrots | Sold by the kilo. |
| Bamia | Okra | Also called lady’s fingers. |
| Biringanya | Aubergine, eggplant | Sold by the kilo. |
| Boga | Pumpkin | Sold by the piece or by the kilo, depending on size. |
| Minji | Green peas | Sold in the pod or shelled. Shelled costs more per kilo and saves labour. |
Fruit
| Local name | In English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Ndizi | Bananas | Ripe eating bananas. Sweet bananas are a smaller variety and are listed separately. |
| Embe | Mango | Variety and season change the price a lot. Apple, Ngowe and Kent are common names. |
| Parachichi | Avocado | Ask whether fruit is ready to eat or needs a few days. |
| Nanasi | Pineapple | Usually sold by the piece. |
| Tikiti maji | Watermelon | Sold by the kilo or by the piece. |
| Papai | Pawpaw, papaya | Sold by the kilo or by the piece. |
| Chungwa | Orange | Pixie is a small, sweet, easy-peel variety. |
| Ndimu | Lime | Small and green. Often what a recipe written in Kenya means by lemon. |
| Limau | Lemon | Larger and yellow. Check which one your recipe needs. |
| Karakara | Passion fruit | More often just called passion. Sold by the kilo. |
How produce is sold in Nairobi
The same item can be priced in different units by different suppliers. Before you compare two prices, check that you are comparing the same thing.
- By the bunch: leafy greens and herbs such as sukuma, spinach, managu, terere, dhania, mint and rosemary.
- By the kilo: most vegetables, roots and fruit, including tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, mangoes and lemons.
- By the piece: cabbage, pineapple and apples, and sometimes pumpkin and watermelon.
- By count: bananas and small oranges are often priced for a set number of pieces.
On the Wapishi price list every item shows its unit next to the price, and the shop shows the same unit when you order.
Three mix-ups worth avoiding
Kale and sukuma
If a recipe or a chef asks for kale and means the curly variety, say so. An order for kale in Nairobi will normally bring sukuma wiki.
Lemon and lime
Ndimu and limau are used loosely in everyday speech. Order by colour and size if it matters to the dish: small and green, or large and yellow.
Matoke, plantain and banana
Matoke is a green cooking banana that is boiled or stewed. Plantain is larger, is usually fried or roasted, and is sold separately. Neither is the ripe banana you put on a breakfast buffet.
Using this when you order
Write the name your supplier uses, add the English name in brackets if your team is mixed, and always state the unit. “Managu (African nightshade), 20 bunches” leaves no room for doubt. If an item you need is not on a supplier’s list, ask. Availability changes with the season, and a good supplier will tell you what can stand in.