April & Yogurt

Historically, April was an important month for Rwandans.  They called it “Mu Kwa Kane” (meaning fourth month) but also “Mata,” which comes from the Kinyarwanda word for milk: Amata.  The reason April is called Milk has to do with cows, which are immensely important in Rwanda.  Traditionally, a family’s worth was determined by the number of cows they owned, and cows were given (and in some places still are given) as a marriage dowry.  The importance of cows stems from their ability to produce milk.  For as long as anyone can remember, Rwandans prized cows for their milk.  

Because April comes at the height of the rainy season, there is an abundance of greens for the cows to eat, in essence creating a banquet for the cows.  This feasting by the cows makes them their fattest and, as a result, they produce enormous quantities of milk,  Hence, April was called Mata to acknowledge the time when the cows (and thus Rwandans) had plenty of milk.

Milk continues to be important to Rwandans.  Every town that I’ve been to has Milk Stores that sell fresh milk and yogurt.  Nyanza, the town where I live, is particularly known for making yogurt. In fact, it has two dairies.  Nyanza’s association with yogurt heralds back to pre-colonial times, when the King, who lived in Nyanza, employed a royal yogurt maker, who lived next to the King.   

Fortunately, I don’t need a royal yogurt maker to enjoy fresh yogurt.  The Nyanza dairies deliver fresh yogurt daily to small stores and the milk stores, and other small shops make their own yogurt from starter, so it is easy to purchase a cup of fresh yogurt. I often see the dairy trucks on the road in Nyanza, delivering milk to other parts of Rwanda. 

I have come to enjoy my daily cup of Nyanza yogurt, which is called ikivuguto (pronounced ichi-vu-gu-tow) and is actually more like kefir (liquid yogurt) than the thick yogurt that we are accustomed to. Ikivuguto has a delicious fermenty taste that most Rwandans and I particularly enjoy.  For those wanting flavored and sugary yogurts, at least one dairy company makes a pink, strawberry-flavored yogurt with added sugar that is sold in some shops.

Containers for buying milk or yogurt. Many small shops buy yogurt in these containers to sell in their shops.

Yogurt on the go. Nyanza Milk Industries makes these handy cartons of delicious yogurt, available only in the Milk Stores.