Tips On How To Enjoy Your ‘Mutura’

There are three delicacies that we Kenyans hold dear: smokie pasua (a smokie with kachumbari), mayai pasua (an egg with kachumbari or a tomato and onion salad), and mutura.

Many of us, or at least everyone, have tried one of the above, even if we are still mad because they slightly increased the price.

Explaining what mutura is might kill its beauty and flavor, but I promise you, it tastes better than it sounds. Mutura is made of goat intestines, with a combination of ground meat, goat blood, fats, and seasonings such as onion, salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, and coriander. Wait, before y’all come for my neck, I know ours isn’t spiced with all these, just a few of them, but it’s okay. I’m just saying this is how it is made.

So basically, this is how our African Kenya Mutura is made:

The so-called intestines are washed thoroughly and then stuffed with the above-mentioned items. The meat is then grilled over a charcoal stove, mostly by the roadside, until it’s golden brown. Then it’s ready to serve.

Here is how you can enjoy your mutura:

It is only sweet when taken at night.
Honestly, if you ask me, I don’t know what it is about darkness, but it makes Mutura. If you eat mutura during the daytime, it will be bland and almost uneatable.

Most vendors start preparing it in the evening, when people are on their way home from work. The darkness and the smoke from the griller ultimately give you a wholesome experience.

Take it in pieces.
So, you have your darkness and your firi firi (spicy pepper). Now all you need to do is enjoy your music slowly. Most home grillers sell it for as low as Ksh 20. It’s never an expensive affair. The beauty of eating mutura is eating it piece by piece and then asking the vendor to add some more.

‘Kata Ingine’ is a slang that we normally use so that he keeps it coming while we take it down our throat using the toothpicks.

Disclaimer: If you are not careful, you might finish a day’s worth of fare. This exercise might be worse than gambling and needs self-discipline.

Take it with friends.
If you want to enjoy mutura, you need to eat it with people. Emphasis on the word need. There’s something about having company, like a group of three or two people, that makes it tastier.

You can’t eat mutura alone, like a sad human being. It steals its beauty away. It’s also punishable by death.

Make Sure You Use the ‘Firi Firi’
You cannot indulge in mutura if you don’t have kachumbari with a little chili. Kachumbari is like guacamole. It adds spice, elevates your eating experience, and makes your mutura slap like hell.

Make sure you do justice by having this with you; it’s just like salt or some sauce.

And at the end of the meal, you are smelling like smoke, your hands are a bit oily, but your soul is happy because a mutura a day keeps the stress at bay.