A Taste Of The Cuisine Of Zanzibar And Tanzania
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Ian Williamson
May 6, 2013, 10:50:18 AM5/6/13
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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
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Article Title: A Taste Of The Cuisine Of Zanzibar And Tanzania
Author: Ian Williamson
Word Count: 748
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=169902&ca=Travel
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=169902
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A question often asked is, �what type of traditional food should we expect when we get to Zanzibar?� Below is a small selection of what you may be offered. These examples of local dishes are eaten by the local people of both Zanzibar and Tanzania.
The original inhabitants of the Zanzibar Islands were African fishermen, who lived in villages scattered throughout the fifty or so Islands that make up the archipelago of Zanzibar. They survived on a diet mainly consisting of fresh seafood gleaned from the warm waters of the Indian Ocean surrounding these islands.
The diet of the local people went through a fundamental change in the ninth century with the arrival of the Persian and Arab traders. These traders built settlements along the coast of Tanzania and on the Zanzibar islands. In time these settlers integrated themselves into the African societies and left a wonderful legacy with their food. These settlers brought coconut palms, mango trees, citrus fruits, rice and all the spices we now associate with Zanzibar. Spiced pilau rice, one of the island's most common and delicious dishes cooked with coconut, nuts, and spices, is of Arab origin.
Pilau rice is the most traditional dish in Zanzibar which I have eaten at weddings, funerals and holidays. Sometimes when I have ordered this dish at a local restaurant I am told the order must be placed by how many kilos of rice I wanted them to cook. This spicy rice comes in a giant copper hour-glass shaped pilau pan. The best way to enjoy this dish is to sit in a circle around a large platter piled high with pilau, remembering, always, to use the right hand, and eat communally from the pot. This togetherness makes the meal even more of a social occasion, since not only do you get to spend time with friends gossiping and eating, but no one has to wash up.
My favorite accompaniment with this dish is a salad of slice onions placed in a shallow dish and marinated, for at least one hour, in lime juice, sliced chilies and sugar. This is served with thinly sliced tomato and cucumber and topped with chopped, fresh coriander.
The stiff porridge made from maze flour has many names throughout Africa and here in Zanzibar it is named Ugali. The maze flour is cooked with water into a stiff porridge, which is hard work. This is a staple diet for many Tanzanian's. It is eaten with your right hand and squashed into a ball, then pushing your thumb into the middle of the ball you make a spoon of the ugali ball and eat it along with the food scooped into the hole. This is especially nice with Mchicha. (see below)
Another favorite dish is sorpotel. The first time I tried sorpotel the chef refused to tell me what it was until after I had eaten it. This is because it is a stew of beef tongue, heart, liver and pork. The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth. It has a spicy kick to it but also a complex flavor that is unique from any curry or masala. If you are ever in Zanzibar, be sure to stop in CHIT CHAT and order the Sorpotel
Chips-my-eye, [Chips ], is a traditional dish here in Tanzania. It is egg and chips, but not your north of England two fried eggs and a side order of chips. It is a chip omelet. Chips are placed into a shallow frying pan and as they sizzle away two beaten eggs are poured over the top. This is then cooked into a solid omelet, stuffed with chips, and very nice it is too. It is not so healthy but give it a try when you visit Tanzania. It is far nicer than it sounds.
Mchicha is the champagne of the many Tanzanian types of spinach. Some of them require a little longer to cook than the western varieties but they all have an excellent taste ranging from the very bitter to the sweet. Mchicha is one of the most popular spinaches and has small oval leaves and thin stems that are very good with Ugali.
Most hotels are now serving a selection of traditional dishes. However, if you find yourself on the coast of Tanzania or in Zanzibar � speak to the local people and see where they eat.
About The Author: All the recipes above and more can be found on the sites http://www.thejumapage.co.uk and tourist information can be found at http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk Kalisti Juma the owner of these sites has lived and worked in Tanzania for 20 years and enjoys sharing his knowledge.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=169902
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
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Message delivered directly to members of the group:
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*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Ian Williamson
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=169902
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=169902
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: A Taste Of The Cuisine Of Zanzibar And Tanzania
Author: Ian Williamson
Word Count: 748
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=169902&ca=Travel
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=169902
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=169902
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
A question often asked is, �what type of traditional food should we expect when we get to Zanzibar?� Below is a small selection of what you may be offered. These examples of local dishes are eaten by the local people of both Zanzibar and Tanzania.
The original inhabitants of the Zanzibar Islands were African fishermen, who lived in villages scattered throughout the fifty or so Islands that make up the archipelago of Zanzibar. They survived on a diet mainly consisting of fresh seafood gleaned from the warm waters of the Indian Ocean surrounding these islands.
The diet of the local people went through a fundamental change in the ninth century with the arrival of the Persian and Arab traders. These traders built settlements along the coast of Tanzania and on the Zanzibar islands. In time these settlers integrated themselves into the African societies and left a wonderful legacy with their food. These settlers brought coconut palms, mango trees, citrus fruits, rice and all the spices we now associate with Zanzibar. Spiced pilau rice, one of the island's most common and delicious dishes cooked with coconut, nuts, and spices, is of Arab origin.
Pilau rice is the most traditional dish in Zanzibar which I have eaten at weddings, funerals and holidays. Sometimes when I have ordered this dish at a local restaurant I am told the order must be placed by how many kilos of rice I wanted them to cook. This spicy rice comes in a giant copper hour-glass shaped pilau pan. The best way to enjoy this dish is to sit in a circle around a large platter piled high with pilau, remembering, always, to use the right hand, and eat communally from the pot. This togetherness makes the meal even more of a social occasion, since not only do you get to spend time with friends gossiping and eating, but no one has to wash up.
My favorite accompaniment with this dish is a salad of slice onions placed in a shallow dish and marinated, for at least one hour, in lime juice, sliced chilies and sugar. This is served with thinly sliced tomato and cucumber and topped with chopped, fresh coriander.
The stiff porridge made from maze flour has many names throughout Africa and here in Zanzibar it is named Ugali. The maze flour is cooked with water into a stiff porridge, which is hard work. This is a staple diet for many Tanzanian's. It is eaten with your right hand and squashed into a ball, then pushing your thumb into the middle of the ball you make a spoon of the ugali ball and eat it along with the food scooped into the hole. This is especially nice with Mchicha. (see below)
Another favorite dish is sorpotel. The first time I tried sorpotel the chef refused to tell me what it was until after I had eaten it. This is because it is a stew of beef tongue, heart, liver and pork. The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth. It has a spicy kick to it but also a complex flavor that is unique from any curry or masala. If you are ever in Zanzibar, be sure to stop in CHIT CHAT and order the Sorpotel
Chips-my-eye, [Chips ], is a traditional dish here in Tanzania. It is egg and chips, but not your north of England two fried eggs and a side order of chips. It is a chip omelet. Chips are placed into a shallow frying pan and as they sizzle away two beaten eggs are poured over the top. This is then cooked into a solid omelet, stuffed with chips, and very nice it is too. It is not so healthy but give it a try when you visit Tanzania. It is far nicer than it sounds.
Mchicha is the champagne of the many Tanzanian types of spinach. Some of them require a little longer to cook than the western varieties but they all have an excellent taste ranging from the very bitter to the sweet. Mchicha is one of the most popular spinaches and has small oval leaves and thin stems that are very good with Ugali.
Most hotels are now serving a selection of traditional dishes. However, if you find yourself on the coast of Tanzania or in Zanzibar � speak to the local people and see where they eat.
About The Author: All the recipes above and more can be found on the sites http://www.thejumapage.co.uk and tourist information can be found at http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk Kalisti Juma the owner of these sites has lived and worked in Tanzania for 20 years and enjoys sharing his knowledge.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=169902
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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