Maasai Wedding Cake

One night, we sat close together in the dimly lit main room of our closest neighbor's house. All together we were about twelve. They'd proudly fed us a feast with more dishes than an American thanksgiving and we were stuffed.  It was time for stories. Thus came the story of the Maasai wedding cake. (The following is a paraphrase as told collaboratively by our neighbor Ann and her husband Daniel in both English and Maa):

We first were married traditionally, but then when we finally both became Christian, we really wanted to have a "proper" wedding in the church, with rings and wedding clothes, etc. We saved and saved and people helped us through donations and finally the day came.  

For our wedding cake, we had something a little different than you might imagine.  You know the big hump on the back of the bulls? Well, that was our "wedding cake".  We were butchering a bull and cows for the festivities and we took the large hump and boiled and boiled and boiled it.  

Evenutally, it becomes so soft you can spoon it up.  You know its all made of fat, right?  Well, it becomes spoonable fat!  I for one, (Ann) didn't care for it so much, but my husband (Daniel), he loved it!

Things that make you say... YUMMM! I cannot take credit for this photo, but this is exactly what they look like here. I have never been this close to a bull this big except when he's blocking the road and I am in the car.