To safeguard Kenya’s food heritage, nine students from Egerton University recently completed a specialized training programme on documenting traditional foods that are slowly vanishing but remain rich in health benefits.
The students under the guidance of Prof. Joshua Ogendo and Dr Stellamaris Muthoka were drawn from the Faculty of Agriculture (Dairy Food Science and Technology Department), the Faculty of Health Sciences (Human Nutrition Department), and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Peace Security and Social Studies Department). Each student researched and recorded the traditional applications of various foods, comparing them to their modern applications.
Prof. Joshua Ogendo and Dr. Stellamaris Muthoka with Egerton University students after training on training on documenting traditional foods in Kenya at Main Campus on April 19th. It was at this event that the students were awarded certificates. The ceremony was graced virtually by Prof. Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy.
Their work will soon find a home in the second edition of the Ark of Taste (Kenya). This online catalog serves as a repository for traditional, high-quality foods and flavours that are at risk of disappearing. The Ark of Taste aims to raise awareness about these traditional nutritious foods.
For more information, visit Slow Foods Kenya at https://slowfoodkenya.org/
The upcoming catalogue will also feature research from Prof. Ogendo and Dr Muthoka. Their work on the Nutraceutical Value of Indigenous Vegetable Foods in Kenya will have a dedicated chapter in the Ark of Taste (Kenya) online catalog.
This project is a result of collaboration between Egerton University and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. Together, they are championing the preservation of Kenya’s diversity in traditional foods.
