Interestingly, Rwandans don't really cook the dough-it is boiled for a short time and served. The cassava sauce is simply the cassava leaves boiled with various spices (it is similar to what we know as spinach).
I also tried this bread called chapati. It is originally from India and somehow made its way to East Africa. It is a very popular addition to meals; it's most similar to a circular flatbread in the U.S.
Another accent to Rwandan meals is peanut sauce. I was surprised by how popular this is to local cuisine. Groundnuts are another main crop here, so there is a lot of sauce and nuts available in local markets.
I honestly did not enjoy the cassava dough or sauce. Eating cassava is a strange sensation (since it is literally dough). It kind of sticks to the inside of your mouth when you bite into it. It feels almost like glue. It does not have much of a real taste. You dip the cassava into any sauce, and it takes the flavor of the sauce.
The cassava sauce wasn't as bad, but I just didn't particularly like the taste. However, I was very glad to be able to try a dish connected to Rwandan culture, and I realized that I would probably like it if I had grown up eating it regularly.
I really love passion fruit, but the kumquats and papaya weren't a hit with me. The papaya is similar to cantaloupe or honeydew melon (both of which I don't like so I think it's just a personal thing). I actually got pretty sick after eating the kumquats though. I'm not sure if they were rinsed off with tap water (the tap water is not safe to drink here) or if I am a little allergic to kumquats. Now I steer clear of them completely!
