Foods of Tanzania

Friends and family from back home often ask me what we eat in Africa. I can’t speak for any other area other than Mwanza, Tanzania (did you know that 3 United States land masses can fit inside the continent of Africa!?!) – but after 5 months here we are starting to gain a better understanding of what is eaten in our local area. Despite a relatively stable climate year-round (average highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 70s with 2 wet seasons each year – one in the spring and one in the fall), we have been told there is still seasonality to certain fruits and vegetables. So far, I haven’t noticed anything disappearing from the markets yet, but I guess we will have to wait and see what the next 7 months bring.

Porridge/Uji: Many Tanzanians eat their first real meal of the day mid-morning. This simple corn, millet and/or sorghum porridge is a daily staple at many of the boarding schools, as well as for many families both in the cities and rural areas. It’s filling and easy for small children to drink from a cup so it makes for a quick and easy meal. I’ve had it given to me several times at Huruma School for Children with Disabilities. At the school they make a slightly sweet version with a bit of sugar added. Many of the teachers squeeze half of a lemon into their porridge.

Corn and beans/Makande: This dish is also a staple for many Tanzanians and also served at boarding schools on a daily basis. Lunch is served between 1pm and 2pm in Tanzania, and this one dish meal is easy to make and affordable. It consists of coarse dried field corn (what we would call “hominy” back in the US) boiled together with some variety of bean. Since most locals here still cook over wood fires or charcoal, making a one pot dish is very convenient. It also means less dishes to wash. Easy access to water is not a guarantee here and we see many families (even within city limits) carrying buckets of water long distances back home for washing and drinking. Personally, I find the makande dish a bit bland – but it has turned into one of Collin’s favorite Tanzanian meals!

(Carrying water home after gathering it from an irrigation ditch)

Stiff porridge/Ugali: Throughout much of Tanzania ugali is served regularly (if not daily). It is essentially corn flour boiled in water to make a very thick, playdough consistency mash. It is very bland with no spices or flavor added. It is typically served alongside stewed/soupy meat (goat, beef, fish, or chicken). One uses their hands to scoop up the ugali; then, by flattening it out with the fingers, it can be used to scoop up the broth and meat. Being in Mwanza, along Lake Victoria, one of the most popular (and affordable) dishes served with ugali is “dagaa” – a small, sardine like fish.

Small fish/Dagaa: At night in Mwanza, the lake is dotted with thousands of small lights. Each light is a wooden fishing boat. During the night, as the water cools, the fish swim to the surface of the lake. Lights attached to the boats help attract the fish to the surface where fishermen catch the fish with nets. In the morning, women meet the men along the lake shore, fill plastic buckets with dagaa, then walk home with brightly colored buckets balanced atop their heads. Once home they spread the small fish out onto straw mats (or directly onto concrete patios and walkways) to dry in the hot African sun. After dried, the dagaa is sold at local markets and small stands throughout the city. It is an affordable and accessible protein for locals. Ask many Tanzanian kids what their favorite meal is and they often answer: Ugali and dagaa!

 

   (Small fish for sale at the market next to tomatoes and plantains; dagaa spread out to dry)

Meat/Nyama: As previously mentioned, chicken, beef, and goat are also eaten locally. Meat is more expensive than dagaa, so many locals only eat it on special occasions (Christmas, Easter, etc.). If one can afford it, though, it is a regular food of choice for many here. Live chickens are found for sale in all the markets (my Swahili is finally good enough that I can now politely tell the chicken vendors, “Sili kuku” … “I don’t eat chicken” – which usually makes them laugh). Chickens also roam free in almost every neighborhood and yard I’ve been to. They are allowed to breed and produce chicks – and eventually are eaten for food throughout the year. They are not “kept” for the most part – but merely live off food scraps tossed in the yard and bugs. Essentially, they are a free food source for locals. We also see a lot of cows and goats being herded by young boys through the neighborhoods, as well as sheep and goats tethered to the roadside (yes – even in the city!).

Flat Bread/Chapati: One of the kids’ favorite Tanzanian foods is chapati. Wheat flour, salt, and oil is mixed into a dough, flattened into a circle, and then cooked on a stove or grill. It is pretty much a thick tortilla. They are made and sold on the streets. Sarah, the lady that helps us with laundry and cooking throughout the week, makes them every Wednesday. We eat ours with lentils – but it is often served with meat dishes.

  

Cassava Leaves/Kisamvu: This unique dish is made from the fresh leaves of the cassava plant (though I’ve also heard it rumored what I am buying in the market might come from the Kisamvu tree, as well?). Because the leaves contain naturally occurring forms of cyanide, the leaves must first be mashed and then boiled (for over an hour) to make them safe to eat. I am able to buy the mashed cassava leaves in the market (they mash them right there for you using a large wooden pestle and mortar for 10 minutes), then take it home and boil and freeze it for future use. A typical kisamvu dish starts the way most dishes start here (sauteing finely diced carrots, purple onions, green peppers, and tomatoes). To that base one adds boiled cassava leaves, coconut milk, and peanut butter. It doesn't look appetizing but is quite good!

 

   (Mortar and pestle used to mash cassava leaves; cassava plant growing alongside the road)

Eggs and Potatoes/Chips Mayai: Another of the kids’ favorite dishes so far in Tanzania is a dish served at many local eateries called “chips mayai”. Influenced by the British, French fries are referred to as “chips” in Tanzania. “Mayai” is the word for “eggs” in Swahili. So the direct translation of “chips mayai” is “egg French fries.” And that’s exactly what they are. Fresh potatoes are peeled and sliced, then deep fried in oil. After cooking for a while, several whisked eggs are poured on top of the potatoes to make a French fry omelet. I can’t say they are healthy (each serving probably contains ¼ cup of oil) … But they do taste pretty darn good! Eggs are expensive here, so like meat, they are a bit of a luxury.

Sweet breads/Mandazi: These round, fried breads taste like a very slightly sweetened donut. Men and women carry clear buckets of these all-around town in the morning, along with a thermos of hot tea. The little donuts are sold for 200 TSH (about 10 cents)/each. On the weekends it is often the job of children to walk the neighborhoods and streets with buckets of mandazi their mothers have made trying to sell them. Chai (sweetened black tea) and mandazi are a common morning snack/meal in Tanzania. One will often see women sitting alongside the street in the mornings cooking their sweetbreads in cast iron molds over a charcoal or wood fire.

(Cooking mandazi over a charcoal fire)

Beans and Rice/Maharege na Wali: Being vegetarians, our family eats A LOT of beans and rice in Africa. But so do the locals - especially those that can't afford meat. There are many varieties of beans at the markets. Most of the rice available is white – and one needs to carefully sift and clean it to get the tiny pebbles and rocks out before cooking it. Once a week Sarah makes pilau (a spiced rice) for us. Most evenings though, we eat simple white rice – and beans (with some sort of cabbage or spinach green cooked on the side).

 

Fruits and Vegetables/Matunda na Maboga: As mentioned in previous posts, there are lots and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables available here year-round. A typical market stand will have: purple onions, eggplant, green peppers, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, mangoes, bananas, plantains, cucumbers, okra, passion fruit, squash and squash leaves, spinach, green peas, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more. It is possible to get cool weather crops (broccoli, cauliflower, apples, etc.) – but only at specialized stands that import these crops from Kenya and other countries. Anything without a peel must be thoroughly washed and/or peeled to make sure bacteria and amoebas are not present. We peel all our carrots and cucumbers. Any greens or unpeeled vegetables need to be thoroughly washed and dried in boiled and filtered water. I often add a drop of bleach to the water, as well. I typically blanch and peel tomatoes. So, food preparation takes quite a bit more time than we are used to. But the freshness and flavor of the produce is like eating out of garden. It’s amazing how sweet the carrots, cucumbers and watermelons are; we forget what “real” food tastes like in the US! So, while eating here takes a bit more planning and preparation – I will definitely say it is worth it. All that said, I really miss my cool weather, northwest berries. Come August I will be very sad to be missing out on my blackberry cobbler and strawberry pie.

Pizza Night: Of course pizza has made its way to Tanzania! (Is there a country where one cannot find pizza!?) There is one pizza restaurant in town that I know of – and a few of the “nicer” restaurants have pizza on the menu. Honestly, the pizza in Tanzania is not that great. Luckily, mom knows how to make pizza! I also found a decent mozzarella cheese in Mwanza (cheese is incredibly expensive and hard to find here). So, every Sunday night has turned into pizza night at the Johnson household. It’s a little piece of home that we all enjoy, especially when feeling nostalgic or homesick. (It also gives mom and dad an excuse to open a Kilimanjaro Light at the end of a long week.)