Sukuma wiki is the nickname for a green leafy vegetable eaten in Kenya. Because it is cheap but nutritious, the sukuma wiki has become a lifesaver for millions of people living in Kenya.

Sukuma wiki literally means “push the week” in the Kenyan national language, Kiswahili, which is spoken throughout Kenya. This refers to the stale vegetable’s rescue function as a food that keeps many families going, especially when the wallet is thin.

A few leaves of the vegetable, washed and cut into thin strips and then fried in a little oil with a little onion, and served with ugali – cornmeal bread – are enough for a meal. This basic recipe can be varied by adding a little egg to the vegetables, or adding tomatoes, or spices such as curry, or serving it with meat.

The Sukuma wiki is virtually unknown in neighboring Uganda, but the few who cook it can add raw peanut powder to add nutritional value.

The vegetable grows well in the sandy soils of the rift valley. A garden that is watered nightly and occasionally enriched with organic fertilizers can produce fresh leaves every day for harvest.

After a while, the plants get too old and then it’s time to cut them down and plant new ones. Old plants are recognizable by the fact that they begin to produce seeds, while producing fewer and smaller leaves, which can have a slightly bitter aftertaste.

But this happens after the plants have produced a more than satisfactory number of large pale green leaves for several months.

What’s special about sukuma wiki is that a small amount can go a long way, making it a favorite when there’s little money to spend on food. Plus, it doesn’t have to be prepared with any other additives to provide a tasty meal. Just vegetables fried in a minimal amount of cooking oil and a little salt is enough.

In addition, the vegetable is easy to preserve. It can grow on almost any small plot of land with minimal amounts of water and care.

Sukuma wiki does its fair share for the economy. It is the foundation of a thriving market economy, providing a livelihood for many small farmers who own little more than a garden, as well as intermediate traders such as market people.

There are probably many other foods in Kenya that are more highly regarded than the sukuma wiki, but this veggie is sure of its life-saving role when it’s called back to power the week!