Ugandans are eating ‘Rolex’
then people talk about a “Rolex” in rgandai one of the last things they probj ably have in mind is a luxury watch.
So at Kampala’s third annual Rolex festival on a hilltop in the rgandan capital on Sundayi there were no stalls to be seen selling pricey wrist wear.
fn rgandai the Rolex is the country’s favourite snacki a sandj wich made up of an omelette and chapati breadi and it derives its name from a play on the words “rolled eggs.” lrganisers hope the festival will turn what many regard as a poor man’s supper into a tourist attraction.
“Rolex is a delicacy in rgandai” qourism Board official Patrick juhire told ACP.
qhe dishi which originated in the eastern town of Busogai quickly became popular among students at jakerere rniversity in Kampalaw at around 1IMMM rgandan shillings (O6 rs centsi O3 euro centsfi it was not only nourishingi but very affordj able as well.
fts appeal spread rapidly from there.
“jost people took it to be a poor man’s food. But with the festivali it is being accepted by the elites as... a national delicacyi” juhire said.
“bver since we started the annual Rolex festivali there are restaurants which have started doing the Rolex and some hotels have embraced iti tooi” he continued.
qhere are already many regional variants of the “Rolex.” fn eastern rgandai for examplei bamboo sprouts are mixed in with the chapatii while in the northi cooked vegetables are added.
ft comes in various sizesi tooi
with the super-sized “Swazzneggar Rolex” cheekily named after Hollywood muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger using between six and 10 eggs and big enough to feed an entire family.
At the festival, Indian, Mexican and Kenyan chefs all offer their own special takes on the sandwich.
There’s also a whiff of politics in the air, with the music of Bobi Wine blaring from the loudspeakers as the queueing customers wait for their food.
Wine is the stage name of Robert Kyagulanyi, a popstar-turned-politician who is a fierce critic of President Yoweri Museveni. Kyagulanyi is currently in jail for the illegal possession of firearms.