Must Eats in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Traveling in Tanzania is such a conundrum. If you are traveling to the famous Serengeti National Park for a safari, one gets the most awful boxed Western style lunch or dinner buffet filled with bland pasta and concentrated juice! Yuck! However, if you are traveling to the Spice Island of Zanzibar, you are in for a foodie treat.
The predominantly Muslim settlers in the island were still fasting for Ramadan when I arrived. Due to this, most restaurants would only cater to foreigners during dinner time. Despite going to highly rated establishments in the Stone Town area on Tripadvisor, none even came close to my expectation. The prawns were always overcooked and the lobster meat was not succulent.
Don't fret though. Real Zanzibar cuisine can be had from the home of the locals or grilled by boatmen during day trips to islands. What are the must try eats in Zanzibar?
1. Pilau rice- Indian merchants have flocked to this East African country many years ago so it is not a surprise that there are Indian influences to Tanzanian cuisine. Pilau rice is the Zanzibar version of the Indian biryani rice. It is not as aromatic as the biryani, but the simple pilau is enhanced by spices that you can find in a Spice Tour, specifically cardamon.
2. Creamed cassava- Very similar in texture and taste to cream of spinach.
3. Zanzibar coconut curry- Can you distinguish the difference among Indian, Thai and Japanese curry? Well, add Zanzibar curry to the list because this type of curry, which is not too spicy nor too creamy, just zoomed to the top of my must eat curries of all time.
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| Coconut curry, pilau rice, fish, creamed cassava made by a local homemaker served after my Spice Tour |
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| Vegetarian coconut curry - wish that I could take this home with me! |
4. The real deal seafood grilled by our boatmen- whole red snapper, octopus and lobster with frites! It took them (2 boatmen) three hours to prepare this feast, and it was worth the wait.
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| My first time to see a whole red snapper, chargrilled octopus and lobster |
5. Tanzanian coffee- If you are a coffee connoisseur, try Tanzanian coffee. I typically don't drink coffee, but after learning more about coffee and completing my barista training, I now have a better understanding of coffee cupping or the art of tasting coffee. I tried a few sips during my Spice Tour from the co-op and brought home a highly recommended Tanzanian coffee brand called Africafe.
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