Traditionally Kamba people grew Malenge (pumpkins) for food. They can also be stored by families and they feed on them when hunger strikes.
They used to plant a variety of these pumpkins including "Malenge mokako" (pumpkins wit hard peels) which could stay for months without rotting.
According to medical news today, Pumpkins are very rich in vitamins and low in calories. Their seeds, leaves and juices are very nutritional.
Many Kamba people are only used to boiled pumpkins either for breakfast or at any time of the day.
But there are much more delicacies you can make from pumpkins by adding the boiled pumpkins into them to either add colour or taste.
Some of these delicacies include;
1. Chapati
You mix the chapati cooking flour with boiled pumpkins and then prepare.
The pumpkins chapatis are so soft tasty and very nice yellowish colour.
2. "Mukimwa" Popularly known as Mokimo.
You boil the pumpkins then mash them the way you mash bananas or potatoes when 'maingi mokimo'.
Add pumpkins leaves for colouring.
3. Pumpkins rice.
You mix the boiled pumpkins with the rice. They make the rice sweet and nicely coloured.
Other delicacies you can make from pumpkins include pumpkins soup, pumpkin puree, fried pumpkin seeds, salads, deserts among many more.