Book Description

Complete absence or existence of limited quantified recipes has negatively impacted on optimal gains from dietary activities being promoted by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) towards alleviating food and nutrition insecurity, and ultimately malnutrition. The lack of reliable quantified recipes in the country may have therefore led to incorrect nutrient intake estimations resulting in erroneous nutrient adequacy estimations in populations and eventually, inaccurate programming decisions. It is on this premise that Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supported the government in documenting commonly consumed recipes, which were quantified with ingredients, preparation methods and yield factors. This book is a detailed account of commonly consumed dishes featuring a diversity of mixed ingredient recipes from across Kenyan communities. These recipes were selected based on frequency of use and so the most commonly used recipes are featured. The book was developed side by side with the revised Kenya Food Composition Tables (KFCT) and so nutrient calculations for mixed recipes featured were drawn from the revised Kenya Food Composition Tables (KFCT), 2018. This first version of recipes book covers a total of 142 mixed recipes. The main components of the book include for each recipe a list of ingredients with household measures, the preparation and cooking method, cooking time, nutrient profile per 100g of recipe, servings and a photograph of the final dish. In addition, individual recipes have been grouped into broader categories for ease of reference. Recipes that are common among urban dwellers have also been captured. Recipes that apply to infants particularly have been indicated in the recipe introductions. Of note about infant recipes is that the information received during focus group discussions revealed that most of the recipes consumed by the entire family are also eaten by infants above 6 months and children. A full nutrient profile, nutrient calculations, yield factors and retention values are provided per recipe. Of note, the recipes in this book were developed to serve a minimum of four people. There is still room for continued review and inclusion of more recipes that will provide a wide representation of the Kenyan Cuisine, give correct information on the population diet, holistically tackle malnutrition, inform current programming and influence policies, and consequently address chronic and acute malnutrition in the country in a more sustainable way.