Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Tanzania

Ugali and grilled meats inland; Zanzibar’s spiced curries, coconut, seafood and street mixes reflect Swahili trade routes. That is the short version of what Tanzania cooks. Look for Ugali (stiff maize porridge, the national staple with fish, beans or greens), Nyama choma (charcoal-grilled goat or beef with chili salt and kachumbari) and Chipsi mayai (french-fry omelette doused in chili sauce, beloved everywhere). Maize reached East Africa through Portuguese Indian Ocean trade and only replaced sorghum and millet as the national staple in the twentieth century. This atlas has 43 Tanzania dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

43 dishes.

Achari ya embeAchari ya embeGreen mango cured with salt, chilli and spices until soft and sourBirianiBirianiLayered coastal rice with spiced meat, saffron-tinted and served at weddingsChapatiChapatiLayered wheat flatbread fried in oil and eaten with beans or teaChipsi mayaiChipsi mayaiFrench-fry omelette doused in chili sauce, beloved everywhereDagaaDagaaSun-dried lake sardines fried with onion, tomato and chiliGongoGongoFierce backyard distillate of fermented maize or cassava mashHalua ya ZanzibarHalua ya ZanzibarSticky translucent sweet of wheat starch, ghee, cardamom and nutsKachoriKachoriSpiced mashed potato balls coated in batter and deep-friedKachumbariKachumbarifresh tomato, onion and chili salad squeezed with limeKahawa chunguKahawa chunguBitter black coffee with cardamom, poured from a brass pot into thimble cupsKaimatiKaimatiSmall fried dough balls tossed in cardamom sugar syrupKashataKashatacoconut or peanut brittle-like squares scented with cardamomKisamvuKisamvuCassava leaves pounded and simmered with coconut milk or groundnutKonyagiKonyagiClear sugarcane spirit in a square bottle, drunk with soda and limeMaharage ya naziMaharage ya nazikidney beans simmered in coconut milkMakandeMakandeMaize kernels and beans boiled together for hours into a hearty one-potMandaziMandazilightly sweet cardamom fried doughnut squares, chai companionMbegeMbegeChagga banana beer brewed with finger milletMchemshoMchemshonorthern one-pot boil of meat, bananas, potatoes and vegetablesMchichaMchichaAmaranth leaves stewed with tomato, onion and often coconut milkMchuzi wa pwezaMchuzi wa pwezaZanzibari octopus curry in creamy coconut milkMishkakiMishkakimarinated meat skewers grilled over coals at duskMkate wa kumiminaMkate wa kumiminaSteamed Zanzibar rice bread, spongy and faintly sweet with coconutMkate wa ufutaMkate wa ufutaFlat sesame-crusted bread from Zanzibar, torn and dipped in curryMlendaMlendaJute mallow leaves cooked to a slippery green relish for ugaliMnaziMnaziCoconut palm sap tapped and left to ferment, drunk cloudy and sourMsetoMsetoRice and split lentils cooked soft in coconut milkMtindiMtindiThick soured milk eaten with ugali or drunk from a plastic cupMtoriMtoriChagga plantain-and-beef puree soup from KilimanjaroNdizi nyamaNdizi nyamagreen bananas stewed with beef and coconut milkNyama chomaNyama chomaslow-grilled goat or beef shared with kachumbari and beerPilauPilaurice cooked in whole spices with beef, Swahili coast favoriteSamaki wa kupakaSamaki wa kupakagrilled fish basted in spiced coconut sauceSugarcane juiceSugarcane juicefresh-pressed asab, frothy and sweet, from juice shops everywhereSupu ya makongoroSupu ya makongoroGelatinous cow trotter broth with chili and lime, eaten at breakfastTogwaTogwaLightly soured maize or millet gruel, drunk cool and unfiltered

  • Konyagi

    Clear sugarcane spirit in a square bottle, drunk with soda and lime. Ready in 5 min prep and Continuous industrial…

  • Ulanzi

    Sweet fizzy wine from bamboo sap, tapped fresh in the rainy season. Ready in 20 min at the bamboo prep…

  • Achari ya embe

    Green mango cured with salt, chilli and spices until soft and sour. Ready in 40 min prep and 10 min…

  • Biriani

    Layered coastal rice with spiced meat, saffron-tinted and served at weddings. Ready in 45 min prep and 1 hr 30…

  • Chapati

    Layered wheat flatbread fried in oil and eaten with beans or tea. Ready in 20 min prep and 25 min…

  • Dagaa

    Sun-dried lake sardines fried with onion, tomato and chili. Ready in 25 min prep and 25 min cooking. 4 servings.…

  • Gongo

    Fierce backyard distillate of fermented maize or cassava mash. A wine & spirit recipe from Tanzania.

  • Halua ya Zanzibar

    Sticky translucent sweet of wheat starch, ghee, cardamom and nuts. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 1 hour 30 minutes…

  • Kachumbari

    Fresh tomato, onion and chili salad squeezed with lime. 15 min to prepare. 6 servings. A salad & side recipe…

  • Kachori

    Spiced mashed potato balls coated in batter and deep-fried. Ready in 30 min prep and 25 min cooking. About 16.…