A popular delicacy in Kenya, Nyama Choma, has been added to the English dictionary.

The meal, often used to describe roasted meat cooked over an open flame is a favourite in entertainment spots, and Kenyans just can’t help but munch on it along with ugali and perhaps some kachumbari on the side.

It is receiving an international nod now that the Oxford English Dictionary has added it to its list of words.

“It’s one of 200 new and revised entries from East African English in the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The OED is one of the most respected sources for the language,” the BBC reported.

The report noted that other famous East African meals have made it to the widely respected dictionary, including chips mayai and…drumroll, chapo!

“Chapo – a thin pancake of unleavened wholemeal bread cooked on a griddle. Chips mayai – in Tanzanian and Kenyan cooking – a thick omelette having fried potatoes mixed in with the eggs during cooking, served open rather than folded,” the BBC broke down Oxford’s definition of some of the new words.

Katogo, a Ugandan dish described as “matoke boiled in a pot with other ingredients” has also made the cut.

There are more words and phrases popular in Kenya that have also been added to the dictionary. These include sambaza, oyee and collabo.

Sambaza meaning “to share or send something” is now in the OED, along with tarmacking which is “the action or process of walking the streets looking for work”.

Collabo can now be used, in a grammatically correct way, to describe working with someone. ‘Oyee!’, on the other hand is used when one is celebrating.

Jembe, Sheng, and come-we-stay are also on the new list released on the OED’s website.

“The OED’s coverage of East African English includes the varieties of English spoken in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, three countries which share a common Anglophone background despite their differing colonial histories,” the Oxford English Dictionary noted on its website.

The credible English Dictionary added that “The forms of English spoken in modern East Africa are…complex to describe, heavily influenced by a speaker’s formal education and their occupation”.

Nyama choma

Nyama Choma is a specialty of grilled goat meat. Roasted meat is very popular in Kenya where it is considered the national dish which is also in Tanzania. The expression nyama choma means “barbecue meat” in kiswahili.

In preparing the Nyama Choma, one can use different kinds of meat. In Kenya, goat meat is preferred, but beef is also used. For the authentic Nyama Choma, one is expected to just add salt and pepper, but some people marinate it first in a mixture of onions, garlic and ground ginger, with some hot pepper and lemon juice.

It sold at several places in Kenya and other countries in East Africa. It is available in both roadside greasy spoons and in large restaurants. It is eaten with the fingers. The side dishes are varied, but the most classic are the salad kachumbari and the ugal.