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Roast goat is one of Uganda’s favourite treats: chunks of goat meat grilled over charcoal on skewers or a grill, usually seasoned simply with salt, and eaten with roasted plantain (gonja), cassava, chips or kachumbari salad. It is sold at roadside grills, bars and pork-and-goat joints across the country, especially in the evening and at weekends, and is a centrepiece at celebrations. In Kenya the same style is called nyama choma, a term Ugandans also understand.
How it is prepared
Goat meat is cut into pieces, often including ribs and offal, threaded on wooden or metal skewers and grilled slowly over charcoal until browned and smoky. Some cooks marinate it with salt, onion, garlic or lemon; others add a dusting of salt and chilli at the end. Whole legs or larger cuts are roasted for big gatherings. Goat stew, slow-cooked with tomatoes and onions, is another common way to eat it with matoke or rice. See our guide to matoke.
Where to try it
Roadside grills in towns along the routes to the parks, such as Mbarara and Lukaya on the Masaka road, sell skewers to travellers, and buses and cars stop for vendors who sell meat on sticks through the windows. In Kampala, bars and local restaurants serve roast goat in the evenings with cold drinks. Choose meat cooked fresh and hot in front of you, and avoid skewers that have been sitting out. See our guides to street food on the road to Bwindi and the Mbarara stopover.
Goats in Ugandan life
Goats are kept by many rural families as a source of income and savings, given as gifts and used in ceremonies such as introductions and weddings, and at Eid al-Adha. Roasting a goat marks celebrations, from graduations to Christmas. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guide to Kampala street food.
Frequently asked questions
Roasted plantain, cassava, chips or kachumbari salad.
Usually, if it is cooked fresh and hot in front of you.
The Swahili name for grilled meat, especially goat.
At roadside grills in towns and at bars in Kampala.
