It’s common in some places to assume cereals include legumes, or rather what are technically referred to as pulses. The two are actually distinct from each other.
Cereals consist of plants in the grass family that are cultivated for their starchy grains. They include the likes of Wheat, Maize, Rice, Millet, Sorghum etc. Legumes on the other hand consist of seeds from leguminous plants such as beans, lentils, and peas.
Below is a list of English to Swahili translations for common cereals and legumes which should come in handy should you find yourself in a local market in East Africa or if you’re travelling abroad.
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Cereals
| Cereal | Swahili Name |
|---|---|
| Maize / Corn | Mahindi |
| Barley | Shayiri |
| Bullrush Millet | Wimbi |
| Millet | Mtama |
| Oats | Oti / Shayiri |
| Rice | Mchele (husked) / Mpunga (unhusked) / Wali (cooked) |
| Rye | Ngano Nyekundu |
| Sorghum | Mtama |
| Wheat | Ngano |
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Legumes
| Legume | Swahili Name |
|---|---|
| Beans | Maharage |
| Chickpeas | Mbaazi |
| Green Grams (Mung Beans) | Pojo / Choroko (“Ndengu”) |
| Lentils | Dengu |
| Peas | Mbaazi |
| Pigeon Peas | Mbaazi |