Now, for the post you’ve all been waiting for…. FOOD! Or chakula, as we call it here in Tanzania. The diet here is extremely starchy, which we’ve all definitely tired of. And while they do have nyama choma (barbequed meat) on occasion, pretty much everything is fried or boiled. Here are some of the staples:
Ugali: a starchy, polenta-like dish of maize flour (cornmeal) cooked with water to a dough-like consistency. Eaten with the hands, dipped in sauce or stew after being rolled into a ball. Doesn’t really taste like much, just helps fill you up. I had a lot of this at my home family. I don’t have any pictures of it, but this one shows how it is eaten very well.
Wali: Rice. Usally white rice, served with pretty much every meal.
Pilau: Rice seasoned with cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and black pepper. Cooked with meat (usually goat) inside. This is one of my favorite things to order at restaurants. At a local canteen or guest house you can get a plate of pilau served with a slice of avocado (parachichi), some boiled spinach (mchicha), cabbage (kabichi), and maybe some sliced tomatoes (nya nya) for 2,000Tsh (~$1.25).
Stew: We ate a lot of stew. Goat stew, beef stew, intestine stew, banana stew, chicken stew (complete with chicken feet), fish stew, stew and rice, stew and ugali… you get the picture.
Fruits: While we didn’t get as much fresh fruit as you would expect, when you got it it was amazingly juicy and fresh. We did have banana (ndizi) with almost every meal and avocado (parachichi) with many of them. Other fruits were available from street sellers, but having to peel them makes it a little impractical on the go.
Ugali: a starchy, polenta-like dish of maize flour (cornmeal) cooked with water to a dough-like consistency. Eaten with the hands, dipped in sauce or stew after being rolled into a ball. Doesn’t really taste like much, just helps fill you up. I had a lot of this at my home family. I don’t have any pictures of it, but this one shows how it is eaten very well.
Wali: Rice. Usally white rice, served with pretty much every meal.
Pilau: Rice seasoned with cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and black pepper. Cooked with meat (usually goat) inside. This is one of my favorite things to order at restaurants. At a local canteen or guest house you can get a plate of pilau served with a slice of avocado (parachichi), some boiled spinach (mchicha), cabbage (kabichi), and maybe some sliced tomatoes (nya nya) for 2,000Tsh (~$1.25).
Stew: We ate a lot of stew. Goat stew, beef stew, intestine stew, banana stew, chicken stew (complete with chicken feet), fish stew, stew and rice, stew and ugali… you get the picture.
Fruits: While we didn’t get as much fresh fruit as you would expect, when you got it it was amazingly juicy and fresh. We did have banana (ndizi) with almost every meal and avocado (parachichi) with many of them. Other fruits were available from street sellers, but having to peel them makes it a little impractical on the go.
Samosas: The best samosas ever! Beef and vegetable, both delicious. You can buy them from little canteens during chai (tea) for about 500 shillings (~$0.30).
Chapati: Everyone loves chapati! Regular is somewhere in between Indian naan and Mexican tortillas. Chapati ya maji (ya maji = of water), on the other hand, is a lot like a Finnish lettu—somewhere in between a crepe and a pancake.
Indian Food: Okay, so maybe not a staple, but the Indian food here is sooo good! And perfect for me, since you can get really good options that aren’t spicy. We loved going to Bigg Bite, an Indian restaurant that also delivered.
Chapati: Everyone loves chapati! Regular is somewhere in between Indian naan and Mexican tortillas. Chapati ya maji (ya maji = of water), on the other hand, is a lot like a Finnish lettu—somewhere in between a crepe and a pancake.
Indian Food: Okay, so maybe not a staple, but the Indian food here is sooo good! And perfect for me, since you can get really good options that aren’t spicy. We loved going to Bigg Bite, an Indian restaurant that also delivered.
There are also just a lot of strange combinations of food. Liiike, chips mayai! Chips mean french fries (cause that's what they call them in Britain), and mayai means eggs. So, yes, that is a french fry omelet. Healthy! But still a very popular dish. Chips with anything, really.
You can always find nice restaurants serving more western-style foods. One of our favorites was Michelle's (next to ShopRite & Empire), an amaaazing French place run by a nice man from Belgium. Rafiki menu crepe stuffed with emental, leeks, mushrooms and cream, served with mini quiche, sangria, and eclairs.... MMMmmmm. For 12,000 (~$7.50), it was well worth it.
You can always find nice restaurants serving more western-style foods. One of our favorites was Michelle's (next to ShopRite & Empire), an amaaazing French place run by a nice man from Belgium. Rafiki menu crepe stuffed with emental, leeks, mushrooms and cream, served with mini quiche, sangria, and eclairs.... MMMmmmm. For 12,000 (~$7.50), it was well worth it.