What is your first thought when you hear Zanzibar?  Exactly! Beaches and spices. Both have their place in this blog. Spices are the basis of Zanzibar’s cuisine. The special flair of the beach or in the historic Stone Town gives every dish that certain extra.

UnboxingTanzania introduces you to our favorite dishes that we discovered while exploring Zanzibar.

• Urojo – Zanzibar Mix
• Fresh fish and seafood
• Pilau
• Biriyani

A bit of Background

In the culinary world of Zanzibar, it is important to people that you can taste the individual spices. Each spice is used very thoughtfully. That puzzled us at first. We expected hot or spicy dishes because of the historical relationship with India and the Arab states. We also saw the cultivation of chilies on the spice farms.

But this is exactly the biggest difference between these cultures. Because the dishes are seasoned but not spiced, the taste of the different spices remains longer on your pallet.

Although we like to eat spicy food, we have decided not to season the dishes. Over time, we have learned to taste individual spices. But don’t worry, if you prefer to eat your dishes really hot, you can always ask for a chili sauce (Mchuzi ya Pilipili).

The restaurants in touristic areas usually have good hygienic standards. That is what we have observed. If you try one of the local restaurants, it’s good to pay attention to a few things:

Tip No 1

Crockery and cutlery should be dry. The plates are usually rinsed cold with soap, under normal tap water. That is okay. It’s just important that they are dry so that you can protect yourself from a typhus infection.

Tip No 2

You should only order freshly squeezed juice if purchased drinking water (bottled water) is used. You should definitely ask about it.  If you are unsure which water is used, we’d advise you not to get it.

Tip No 3

Don’t forget to wash your hands. Especially in Zanzibar, where the population is 95% Muslim, much emphasis is placed on this. No matter how clean your hands are, wash them again before eating.  At most snack bars you’ll find facilities to wash your hands (check here for more information about hygine) You then also win the respect and heart of the locals.

But now, let’s make you hungry.

Zanzibar Mix or Urojo

The dish is exactly what the name suggests. A food that combines the cultures, history, food, and spices of Zanzibar.  The basis of the stew is a broth consisting of turmeric, mangoes, and flour. Of course, every chef and every restaurant has their own recipe. Potatoes (sometimes fried potatoes or fritters), falafel, boiled eggs, tomatoes, onions, and some lemon or lime juice are then added to the broth. Of course, meat should not be missing.  Often it is grilled beef. The soup is seasoned during the whole process. Sometimes a spoonful of coconut chutney and a dollop of the Pilipili sauce (chili sauce) is a topping.

Sounds good, right? The soup often tastes a bit sour, but very gooood.  We found the mildness pleasant. This allowed us to taste many of the ingredients mentioned directly.

Fresh fish and seafood

Every day on the beach we could watch the fishermen selling their catch directly on the beach. Of course, the hubbub is even bigger at the fish markets in Stone Town.  The sea around Zanzibar is very rich in fish and so it is no wonder that fish and seafood are part of the culinary menu here.

We mostly just ask about the “catch of the day” in the restaurants. Followed by the question of whether the fish was really caught today.  This is often the case. Otherwise, the waiter will honestly tell you that the fish was frozen or how old it is.

In a beautiful location on the beach, for example, we were told that one lobster is fresh from today and more needed to be defrosted. The fish is usually served grilled.  We especially liked the tuna steaks. Perfectly grilled, so that the fish was not dry, but just nice and juicy.  We also ate our most delicious octopus EVER in Zanzibar.

Our Tip:

One more word of caution, though. Choose the restaurant well for your fish dish. Fresh Fish must also be sufficiently cooled.  This is also the case with shrimps and gambas. Better to spend a little more than get fish poisoning and be sick for the rest of your holiday.

Pilau

Pilau is a rice dish that is common throughout East Africa.  Why do we associate it with Zanzibar?  Pilau is a simple dish, rice with spices and sometimes meat is mixed in. Especially you will taste cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin. These spices can be found everywhere on the island.

So, how is pilau prepared? In the case of pilau with meat, the meat is first seared in oil.  Then add onions, garlic, and ginger.  The spices that form Pilau are the ones mentioned above, as well as black pepper, coriander seeds, cloves, fenugreek, fennel seeds, and turmeric.

Then you pour in water. First, the meat is cooked in the decoction. With additional water, the rice is added. Fold the rice under the meat and continue to stir occasionally. As soon as the water is boiled, the pilau dish is ready. Often pilau is served with a bean sauce or a thick meat sauce.

Our Tip:

Try Pilau! The spice mixture can be bought everywhere, even in small, packaged bags. These are ideal as a small gift or souvenir of your holiday in Zanzibar.

Biriyani

The history of this dish goes back to the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th. The word “Biriyani”, is believed, to have its roots in the Persian word “birian”, which can be translated as “fried before cooking”. Muslim immigrants may have spread the dish in India.

Unlike Pilau, the rice is prepared separately from the meat. It is very important for good biriyani that the rice is not overcooked but still a bit gritty.  The secret also lies in the spice mixture (fenugreek seeds, green and black cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, and chili). In addition, the fried onions and the clarified butter used are a hit.

Biriyani is usually served with meat. Mostly a nicely cooked piece of beef with a reduced meat sauce (a bit like gravy).

Our Tip:

You can also order both rice dishes to take away. So, you can enjoy your food directly on the beach with your favorite view.  In addition, the portions are often so large that you still have something to eat for the next day.

Bottom Line

Our Zanzibar trip was unforgettable for us.  Pleasant people who gave us a friendly welcome, beautiful nature with endless beaches, and a special history and culture to discover on the island. All this you can literally taste in the culinary diversity.

Will you be in Zanzibar soon? Tag us on Instagram or Facebook on your Biriyani or Urojo post. We’d be thrilled to hear how you like it.

By the Way

Do you like food? Check out our block about Street food in Tanzania “Street Food in Tanzania – You Have to Try the 5 Best!“

The post The taste of Zanzibar’s Spices – 4 delicious foods you must try! first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%

Can you imagine traveling without trying street food? We don’t. We love to snack & try new treats. Many commuters also depend on the snacks of street vendors.

UnboxingTanzania introduces you to our five absolute favorites of street food in Dar es Salaam. Careful, this article whets your appetite.

Street Food – Breakfast

Did you know that there are at least three expressions for breakfast in Swahili:

• Chakula cha Asubuhi    – the food of the morning
• Kifungua Kinywa             – literally “opening your mouth”
• Chai                                   – literally tea     

And of course, there are also breakfast snacks at the street vendors.

Mandazi

A special treat for us. A day that starts with coffee and fresh Mandazis is a good day. Mandazis are delicious dumplings, a kind of breakfast donut. Unlike most donuts, the sweetness is rather subtle. Often the ingredients such as flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and baking powder are refined with spices such as cardamom or cinnamon. This tastes particularly good to us.

The ingredients are kneaded well. The dough is rolled out and shaped in various ways. Then they are fried in a steel pan over an open fire. The treat is then skillfully skewered with a metal stick and sold in bags.

The fluffy dough, the very light sweetness, the delicious frying aromas, and the light note of the spices used, make the Mandazis the perfect breakfast snack in Tanzania.

Tip:

Make sure you buy the Mandazis freshly fried. So, rather at a stand where they are freshly made and not by a street vendor. Then they are the tastiest.

Chapati

Chapati is another delicacy we love. This flatbread has its origin in Indian cuisine. Chapati in Tanzania has several layers. This is due to a certain way of folding the dough. In addition, wheat flour is used instead of atta flour (whole grain). Other ingredients are sugar, salt, oil, and warm water.

We have already made chapatis ourselves. That was a lot of fun. First, mix the ingredients well, and then let the dough rest for a while. We use the time to heat the charcoal stove. After that, all we had to do was portion the dough, roll it out and then fold it. Roll out the dough one last time and fry on the warmer until golden brown.

All the effort was worth it. The chapatis taste simply delicious. These flatbreads do not have an intense taste of their own and are a perfect side dish. Most of the time, chapatis are eaten just like that with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast.

Info:

In Tanzania, there is a second type of chapati, much like pancakes. However, the liquidly dough does not contain milk. These chapatis are also delicious. But we prefer the chapatis with the different layers.

Both versions of chapatis are eaten with the fingers. The Tanzanians know the art of pulling bite-sized pieces with just one hand (the right). We haven’t quite figured that out yet, but it’s still delicious.

Tip:

You can bake chapatis yourself. In the street shops, you can buy a set for it – a raised, round wooden pad and a rolling pin.

Street Food – Savoury

Wali wa Marahage

This is a delicious rice dish with beans. The rice is served on the plate and the beans are in a small bowl. The beans are soaked in water for about 30 hours and then cooked for another 1-2 hours. The bean stew often also contains onions, carrots, and peppers. The long cooking makes the dish creamy -yummy. The fresh vegetables taste wonderfully intense, certainly also because they are grown locally, and only seasonal vegetables are used. 

Tip:

We like it a bit hotter. That’s why we often ask for PiliPili or Mchuzi ya PiliPili. These are hot peppers or a hot sauce that is made from them.

Samosa

For us, this is the ultimate street food. The crispy-fried triangular, filled dumplings are the ideal snack for in-between. The fillings vary from mashed potatoes, vegetable mix, or minced meat.

With the Samoas, we see the close culinary connection between Tanzania and the Indian and Arabic cuisine. At the street shops. you can see how the dough is folded around the fillings. As usual in Tanzania, deep-frying takes place in a large steel breakdown either over an open fire or over a coal stove. After about 5 minutes, the samosas are taken out of the oil. That’s how long the dough needs to turn golden brown and crispy.

Samosas are finger food. You only need a napkin, so you don’t burn your fingers. At a snack bar, you also get a delicious dip with your samosas.

Tip:

Also with samosas, we recommend that you pay attention to freshness. Buy the samosas where they are prepared. This is especially recommended for the samosas with meat filling.

Chipsi Mayai

Ingeniously simple, simply ingenious. You absolutely have to try the French fries omelet. Home-made fresh fries, baked with fresh eggs from the chickens from the farm. In addition, there are often grilled skewers with chicken or beef. We ask ourselves why Chipsi Mayai is not available everywhere in the world.

We haven’t yet found out who invented the dish, but hey! thank you for that. We ate it for the first time in Tanzania and are thrilled. Chipsi Mayai can be found everywhere in Tanzania.

This dish is also eaten by hand. Inexperienced people like us like to burn their fingers. If you can’t wait for the fries to cool down, you can ask for a toothpick. This is often used here as a skewer for eating.

Tip:

As a side dish to your Chipsi Mayai, you often get a small salad. It is difficult to know how the salad has been cleaned and stored. That’s why we pass that one. – “bila saladi”

Bottom line

Don’t go to Tanzania to lose weight. Try the various delicacies and immerse yourself in the culinary street food scene. It’s totally worth it. We wish you bon appétit, great aromas, and a lot of fun with your new taste experiences.

#unboxingtanzania: Be sure to tag us on Instagram or Facebook when you post your favorite street food.

We read a great, complementary article on the Citizen. We found the perspective very valuable.

The post Street Food in Tanzania – You Have to Try the 5 Best! first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%

That’s what we were asked by workmates, neighbors, friends, and relatives. Let us try to explain.

Nature

It is said Tanzania is the very quintessence of Africa. That sounds beautiful, right. You would think of Tanzania as home to the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater and not to forget Zanzibar. (Tanzania – It’s natural beauty of nature.) We think there is soo much more to it. We live in Dar and we didn’t think it to be so green. Check out what we see when we wake up in the morning. Did you see the sunsets we get to see (check on Instagram)?

Culture

Getting to know Tanzania you will find that nature-wise, it is beautifully diverse. But even more refreshing are the people of Tanzania. Literally all Tanzanians we met are extraordinarily welcoming, helpful and open-minded. They all greet us with the word “Mzungu” and a big smile.  (unbox “Mzungu”) Talking with Tanzanians always leaves us with a cheerful spirit. In Tanzania, we learn to view life (and ourselves) a bit differently. It helps us grow.

Food

We must mention the food! Pilau, Kiti-moto, Chapati, Wali na Maharage, Samosas, Mandazis – and we did not even start the list of freshy-fresh fruits and vegetables. Tanzania grows both coffee and tea! That in itself is a reason already to live here. We packed our little manual coffee-grinder and it was totally worth it. Friends said, that we might lose some pounds when moving to Africa, but hey! that’s not gonna happen – the food is way to yummy.  Watch out for the unboxingTanzania of foooood. We would only ever learn a language and move to a country when we like the food.

Language

That brings us to Swahili. They say it is a language easy to learn. As Native Germans, we can at least read most of the words. The grammar is somewhat very different though. Well, we will find out how long it will take us – and you too! We’ll keep you up-dated on our progress and share the funny mistakes we will surely make. “Haraka Haraka haina baraka! Pole Pole ndio mwendo!” slow and steady! 

Oh, maybe one mistake I made already, we can share here. It made us more aware of letters. Do you see the difference?

I wanted to say: “I understand” – “nimeelewa” – but I said “I am drunk” – “nimelewa“

It is fantastic to try our little Swahili every day – and to increase our vocabulary. Our Tanzanian friends are incredibly helpful and encouraging. They try to understand what we want to say and keep cheering us “Hongera!”       

We love it!

We want to inhale Tanzania. We want to stop every step of the way and see the beauty of the moment. One doesn’t need much – just a moment. to look, to see and to appreciate.  

Why Tanzania, you ask? Well, yes, because it is Tanzania. We love it.

So, come and see unboxingtanzania! and then you’ll understand. 

The post Why we love Tanzania? and Why unboxing it? first appeared on and is written by %AÚTHORLINK%