10 Mouth Watering Dishes You Need To Eat- in Tanzania
If you’ve worked as a tour guide in Tanzania, you may have enjoyed answering numerous queries about the many game reserves and drives around the country, the pristine beaches and turquoise waters of the coastal areas and the incredible Mount Kilimanjaro. But one question you may have inevitably answered with relish is probably about the mouth-watering dishes that the country is famed for: “So what do you eat in your beautiful country?”
After all, when visitors encounter foreign food in whatever part of the world they happen to be, it can be a scary experience. But it can also be an exciting eye-opener. Touring the world is about encountering new ideas and tastes as well as stepping out of your favourite dining comfort zones. So sampling the local cuisine of any place from New York to Cape Town, the U.K to Tanzania can play a huge role in this experience.
Because it’s a product of a long history and diverse influences, Tanzania is a proud owner of a large variety of traditional dishes. And Zanzibar especially is famous for its street food courts and food gardens. Here are 10 of the country’s favourite recipes to sample when visiting Tanzania:
1. Chapatti
Chapatti has its origins from the Indian subcontinent, but Tanzanians and East Africans, in general, appear to have created their own version. A rounded dough that is fried in oil on a flat pan, this delicacy can be consumed at breakfast, lunch or dinner as it goes well with coffee, stew as well as soup and vegetables.
2. Ndizi kaanga
Ndizi kaanga is Swahili for fried plantains and is a very popular snack. It can be eaten while sweet, savoury as well as a side dish with another meal.
3. Nyama Choma
Nyama Choma is grilled goat meat, beef, chicken or even fish. It is slowly roasted (barbecued) on a charcoal fire until it turns brown and juicy. It goes well with chappati, ugali or rice dishes.
4. Ugali (Sima)
Ugali compares well with chapatti as a national dish. This is a white paste made of soft corn flour and water. The mix is heated and mixed until it forms a firm white cake. It can be served with meat stew or eaten with vegetables. Any meal served in Tanzania rural areas without ugali can be a contentious issue.
5. Urojo
Urojo is a tasty and smooth soup cooked with common vegetables and sprinklings of meat and onions, potatoes, peanuts, bhajias and coconut flesh. It is one of the most popular foods in Zanzibar.
6. Pilau
A dish of spicy rice with its origins in the Arabian peninsula, pilau is eaten throughout East Africa and beyond. The fried rice is mixed with herbs and an assortment of meats; chicken, beef, goat or fish.
7. Mchemsho
Mchemsho is a Tanzanian dish served mainly in the northern parts of the country. It packs many ingredients and some of them are complicated or expensive to get. So it is not a daily meal. The ingredients include; carrots, potatoes, green beans, eggplant, cabbage onions, you can also add meat or fish.
8. Wali wa Maharage
This is Swahili translation for rice and beans. The rice is usually cooked with coconut (nazi) oil and flavored with spices such as cloves, cinnamon, pepper or cardamom.
9. Wali wa Nazi
This is a dish of rice prepared with coconut oil. It can be served with vegetables and meat.
10. Mkate siagi
Swahili translation for bread and butter. This is a favourite dish that is served as a morning breakfast with either tea or coffee.
Also have a look at Best Street Foods in Zanzibar for Foodies