A taste of Barbados national dish and Kenya's Ugali.

This week, our Cricket World Cup food tour takes us to the place that will host the final of the event - Barbados. Also, we head to Kenya to explore a popular African staple.

The National dish of Barbados is Cou-Cou and Flying Fish.

Cou-cou is a dish made with cornmeal and okras, in much the same way that it has been made in Africa for centuries. It is accompanied by flying fish, which have been prepared in an aromatic sauce of tomato, onion, chives, thyme, fresh pepper, garlic and other herbs. Together, they make a delicious and wholesome combination.

Staple starch component

Ugali is a staple starch component of many African meals, especially in southern and east Africa. It is generally made from maize flour (or ground maize) and water, and varies in consistency from porridge to a dough-like substance. When ugali is made from another starch, it is usually given a specific regional name.

The traditional method of eating ugali as a main course is to roll a lump into a ball and then dip it into a sauce or stew of vegetables and/or meat.

Making a depression with the thumb allows the ugali to be used to scoop, and to wrap around pieces of meat to pick them up in the same way that flat bread is used in other cultures. Firm ugali can also be eaten with a knife and fork.

Ugali is inexpensive to make and the flour can last for considerable time in average conditions. Also, the crops that produce the corn flour will grow reliably in poor seasons. For these reasons, ugali is an important part of the diet of millions of Africans.

- Sources: www.totallybarbados.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/