A few weeks ago there was an alarming rumour spreading like fire among the Northern European residents of Kampala: according to a reliable source, rye bread had been sighted in the Lugogo outlet of Shoprite. Scandinavian families had been seen hauling shopping carts filled with the precious dark stuff. The surprise level of the news was comparable to hearing that the Nile had just stopped flowing.

In this country, you learn to act fast, since proven demand is never a guarantee of future supply. We got a message on the availability of this unexpected treasure late Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday morning we were on our way at nine. Luckily, there were a few loaves left. The white spongy bread one has to content with in most of the world’s countries is just about tolerable in the short run, but sometimes you just need to sink your teeth into something of a bit more substance.

07:33