Page 20 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 34

Community

In one of the niches was housed a fattened

ram in an enclosed cage called Gicegu. This
ram was never let out and was fed for its
entire lifetime inside the fattening pen. It was

fed on sweet potato vines hung with a rope
and on other kitchen waste like peelings and
food stock. It thus would grow famously fat
and a woman’s diligence and hard work were
measured by the fat it produced when it was

finally slaughtered. Many people have queried
why the ram was an integral part of the
house. Well, it turns out that one of its major

functions was as the Nyumba’s FPU or fat
production unit.

Unlike ewes, the fattened ram, ndurume
ya gicegu, was let to grow a heavy fat

tail, that would measure oftentimes over
three kilograms. This fatty tail was called
kimengemenge. To process the fat from its

raw form one had to cut up the fat into small
pieces and simply let them fry in a pot until
the pieces dry up and float on the oil. Once
the fat cools it is transfered into a fat storage
container, kinandu kia maguta, and stored in

a private store. The dried up pieces, ngarango
are eaten once they cool. Wrapped in honey,
they will last forever and are food for the

gods. This fat was highly valued and formed
the main source of fat in the Gikuyu diet.

Women would add it into children’s gruel and
a favourite was kneading roasted bananas with

it into balls, ngumba cia marigu, which were
the food of choise for travellers and lunch in
the fields. Babies on this turbo-charged gruel

and bananas grew exceedingly heavy with
smooth and rounded cheeks. They breastfed
less to the agony and delight of their mothers.

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