By GILBERT MWIJUKE

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The newly opened Obunuzi Restaurant, in Kampala suburb of Wandegeya has created a niche for itself by incorporating honey in almost all its dishes.

The restaurant, which started out with pork as its flagship dish, is now famous for its “honeyed” dishes, as they use the condiment as its main ingredient in its pork, chicken and even liver dishes.

But why honey in food? “Well, science shows that honey is one of the foods that do not go bad,” said Winnie Zose, the manager and co-owner of the restaurant.

“When you use honey in food,” she goes on, “you eliminate cases of food poisoning where food goes bad because of bacteria and at the same time improve the health of those who consume it since honey helps in preserving body cells as well.”

In addition to honey, Zose and team use juice from over half a dozen fresh fruits to marinate their meats which, according to her, removes odour from the meat and makes the food healthier. The juices also serve as flavour enhancers.

“Aside from fruit being well known for detoxifying the body and boosting one’s immunity, these ingredients add an extra dimension to the food. It goes without saying that honey and fruit make the food very tasty,” she said.

Prioritising organic food

Zose says her restaurant’s goal is to promote healthy eating in a city where unhealthy fast foods are almost the order of the day. Where possible, she says, “We prioritise organic food from animals and crops that have not been grown with the help of chemicals.”

For pork, specifically, the restaurant serves it boneless (except ribs) and fatless meat to ensure it’s devoid of unhealthy fat – and most of the meat is either boiled or roasted. Hardly any is fried in oil.

Most of the dishes on the menu are unique to Obunuzi Restaurant meaning those who seek it can only find it here. This includes dishes such as honeyed pork, honeyed chicken, honeyed liver and honeyed goat muchomo (roast mutton).

Honeyed chicken a speciality of Obunuzi Restaurant. PHOTO | GILBERT MWIJUKE | NMG

According to Zose, the most popular dish at Obunuzi Restaurant is the fried honeyed pork, which has gravy and includes pork ribs. The dish retails at Ush25,000, but you can opt for the roast, boneless and honeyless pork served on skewers at Ush10,000 each, inclusive of accompaniments.

Do it yourself

If you cannot make it to Obunuzi, don’t fret; you too can use honey as an ingredient while preparing food at home. Ms Zose says it’s also delicious on chips, pizza, omelets, sandwiches, and even salads.

“After experimenting with honey on a wide range of dishes, we have come to realise it’s good on almost everything. It gives most foods a kick of sweet flavour,” she says of the golden liquid that has become a staple in her restaurant’s kitchen. “You just have to make sure you add the right amount of honey, not too much to make it interfere with other flavours.”