Ugali, also known as posho, nsima, papa, pap, sadza, isitshwala, akume, amawe, ewokple, akple, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn flour in several African countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa, and in West Africa by the Ewes of Togo, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire.

In Zimbabwe it is known as sadza in Chishona or isitshwala in Ndebele[13] The Afrikaans name (mielie) pap comes from Dutch, in which the term means "(corn) porridge".

[17] It is the most common staple starch featured in the local cuisines of the African Great Lakes region and Southern Africa.

[18] The traditional method of eating ugali (and the most common in rural areas) is to roll a lump into a ball with the right hand and then dip it into a sauce or stew of vegetables or meat.

[19] Ugali is relatively inexpensive and thus easily accessible to the poor, who usually combine it with a meat or vegetable stew (e.g., sukuma wiki in Kenya) to make a filling meal.

Sagtulga (Dagbani: saɣituliga, Hausa:tuo zaafi), or diehuo, is a popular main dish for the people of Ghana.

It is usually eaten with blended Corchorus olitorius leaves (Dagbani: salinvogu, Hausa: ayoyo, molokai)[20] and okro (Abelmoschus esculentus)[citation needed] with stew on the side.

Obusuma is commonly served with tsimboka, or etsifwa, eliani (vegetables), inyama (meat), inyeni (fish), thimena (whitebait) or omrere (jute leaves).

In wealthier homes, or for special occasions, the ugali is served with abundant savory vegetables and meats in spicy gravy.

This process requires the maker to pull the thick paste against the side of a pot with a flat wooden spoon (nthiko in Malawi, m'tiko/umwiko in Zambia) quickly whilst it continues to sit over the heat.

Once cooked the resulting nshima/nsima is portioned using a wooden/plastic spoon dipped in water or coated in oil called a chipande (Malawi), and chipampa (Zambia).

Alternatively the host or one of the younger people present pours water from a jug over the hands of the elders or guests into a bowl.

In Zambia, umuto (Bemba language) refers to the drippings/broth/sauce of a side dish or stew; and the act of scooping an ample amount of it with a nshima ball is called inkondwa.

Nsima is relatively cheap and affordable for most of the population, although occasionally prices have risen due to shortages, contributing to economic and political instability.

When they have a braai, bogobe or stywe (stiff) pap with a savoury sauce like tomato and onion or mushroom is an important part of the meal.

Uphuthu is a South African method of cooking mealie meal whereby the end product is a finely textured coarse grain-like meal which is typically enjoyed with an accompaniment of vegetables and meat in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape regions of South Africa or as the star of the dish with amasi or maas in the Gauteng regions.

Phuthu or uphuthu (/ˈpʊtuː/), also incorrectly spelled as putu or phutu, is a traditional preparation method of maize meal in South African cuisine.

For example, amasi or mass is usually prepared with a more finely-textured phuthu, whereas stews and curries are often served with a more clumped variety, leaning towards stiff-pap.

Despite the fact that maize is an imported food crop to Zimbabwe (c. 1890), it has become the chief source of carbohydrate and the most popular meal for indigenous people.

However, during times of famine or hardship, they resorted to eating yellow maize meal, which is sometimes called "Kenya", because it was once imported from that nation.

[34] The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) National Chairman Tafadzwa Musarara commented that the future working class will be eating less sadza and more rice and bread as alternatives.

It is generally eaten with the right hand without the aid of cutlery, often rolled into a ball before being dipped into a variety of condiments such as sauce/gravy, sour milk, or stewed vegetables.

Similar dishes are polenta from northern Italy, gh'omi (ღომი) from Georgia, and grits in the southern United States.