Kosupa Travel

In the second part, we will share the scene of the fish auction in the port town of Ggaba along the shore of Lake Victoria and provide a report on tasting.

Check out the first part here!

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Having enjoyed the sightseeing on Lake Victoria, let’s go and eat Nile Perch!

In Ggaba, the town we visited this time, tilapia is also caught, but Nile Perch, representing Africa, can truly be called a gourmet dish unique to Africa. However, Nile Perch is actually exported from Africa to the world, and in Japan, it is sometimes served as “white suzuki” in school lunches as white-fried fish (I didn’t know…).

Right near the fishing port is a market where freshly caught Nile Perch is bundled for sale. Staff in white clothes are in charge of the auction. Similar to Tsukiji Market, the golden time of the market in Uganda is early in the morning, but even around noon, it is lively and full of energy.

Our local guide selected a Nile Perch that looked good in terms of meat quality. The fish purchased at the market can be cooked and eaten as is.

Let’s have it prepared by the market’s cooking staff!

Our local guide and the Nile Perch after being prepared. After removing the entrails, making cuts for easy cooking, and roughly removing the scales, the pre-processing is complete.

The removed entrails are eagerly consumed by Marabou, a giant bird. It’s a rare-looking (and reputedly ugly) bird not often seen in Japan but is widespread in Africa. Since there are Marabous that are taller than children, it might be a bit scary if you’re not used to seeing them.

The prepared Nile Perch is deep-fried extravagantly! *The photo above is of tilapia.

Since a large Nile Perch is not a quantity that one person can eat alone, Emmanuel, the motorcycle taxi driver who took us from Kampala to Ggaba, was also invited this time.

You can also order alcohol on-site. Let’s enjoy it together with Ugandan beer! This time, we chose BELL beer, but it might be nice to go for NILE beer to connect with Nile Perch.

And here is the fried Nile Perch!

Seasoned simply with citrus and salt, it is enjoyed local style with side dishes like potatoes.

The taste is a dry and bland white flesh with no peculiar taste or smell, with a low fat content. This might be loved as a diet food or high-protein food in Japan. The refreshing aroma of citrus goes very well with it!

However, due to the low-fat and dry taste, you may get tired of eating it quickly. In the latter half, you may find yourself forcing it down with beer, so please be careful. By the way, not only Emmanuel but also the local fisherman guides we were with were invited, but they all declined, probably because they eat Nile Perch so much on a regular basis (laughs).

How was it?

We have written reports on Ggaba, the port town on Lake Victoria, and fresh Nile Perch in two parts. When visiting the coastal areas of Lake Victoria, not only in Uganda but also in other places, be sure to enjoy the blessings of the lake with your taste buds!