To celebrate and promote the rich culinary heritage of Rwanda, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has collaborated with four renowned chefs to curate a recipe book. This initiative aims to showcase traditional crops and recipes that represent Rwandan culture.

For centuries, Rwanda has been home to a diverse array of crops, many of which have been overlooked or underutilized, leading to a loss of valuable nutrients and flavours. The lack of documentation has made it challenging to preserve traditional recipes, resulting in some of them being lost and forgotten. However, with the introduction of the new recipe book, the specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security will help put an end to this trend.

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The goal is to create recipes that utilize local ingredients while adhering to international culinary standards. Four gifted Rwandan chefs who were chosen have prepared the ingredients, created a menu, and also cooked for a culinary gastronomic gala night for the participants of the inaugural Kigali Triennial festival at Kigali Marriott Hotel in order to fulfil the UN agency's mission of eradicating hunger, guaranteeing food security, and preventing malnutrition in all of its forms.

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Angelique Iraguha, a chef at Singita Kwitonda Lodge in Musanze District, is one of the culinary experts who contributed to the project.

Rwandans residing in the country and abroad will experience many changes as a result of the new recipe book, she noted. Since traditional dishes have never been the subject of specific research before, she said, the new recipe book will educate the public at large.

"Together, we aim to craft a three-course meal using indigenous ingredients such as sorghum, millet, tarot, and sweet potatoes,” Iraguha said.

Reintroducing and promoting local dishes in Rwanda has several advantages, according to her colleague, Eric Kanyemera, a chef at Mantis Kivu Queen Uburanga, Rwanda’s first floating hotel operating on Lake Kivu.

He said: "It preserves our cultural heritage and fosters a sense of national pride, stimulates the local economy by supporting our small-scale farmers and producers, promotes healthy eating and utilizes locally sourced ingredients. Reintroducing and promoting local dishes also enhances tourism and offers an authentic culinary experience for Rwandans and visitors.”

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Kanyemera believes that Rwandan gastronomy is garnering increasing recognition locally and internationally.

He emphasized the importance of promoting local dishes, highlighting Rwanda's abundant supply of superior produce sourced from the country’s fisheries, agriculture, livestock, and non-wood forest products, including mushrooms.

All Rwandans will have access to the recipe book that will be developed by four chefs with support from FAO.

Another Rwandan chef working on the novel project, Phiona Ninsiima, emphasized that having a recipe book dedicated to Rwandan cuisine will stimulate dialogue among chefs, fostering creativity and the development of new recipes.

She said: "For any culture to be full, food needs to be at the core of it. That’s one of the reasons the new recipe book will show our identity, not to mention that our own local dishes are very nutritious.”

If all goes according to plan, the recipe book "will be available by mid-year,” offering enthusiasts an opportunity to explore and experiment with traditional Rwandan flavours, according to Ninsiima.

FAO has urged countries to promote local dishes through collaborations with local chefs as part of the global effort to combat hunger and malnutrition.