Guide: all countries » Tanzania » Zanzibar Island » Cuisine and restauraunt

Cuisine of Zanzibar Island for gourmets. Places for dinner - best restaurants

Zanzibar’s modern cuisine is spicy, with lots of spices, but not hot. Fruits, some kinds of vegetables, rice, and seafood are the base of the local diet, on the other hand, locals eat meet really rare. Concerning fruits, the island’s inhabitants prefer mangos, pineapples, rambutans, bananas, and coconuts. They also add coconuts to most national dishes and also sell green ones with fresh water in it on the streets and beaches.
Best beaches and recreation areas around Zanzibar Island
You can find attractive beaches literally everywhere on Zanzibar Island; almost all of them are covered with white sand and surrounded by dense thickets of tropical plants. The most popular … Open
In addition, a variety of seafood is quite rich: shrimps, octopuses, squids, lobsters, crabs. A lot of fish. The tastiest dish is fresh grilled fish, you must try it! People of Zanzibar eat rice with different spices almost every day. Try pilau – rice with various toppings. It’s eaten here with hands. Rice noodles are also widely spread here on the island, people eat it with seafood, onion, bean sprouts, and spices, of course. Couscous is the locals’ favourite cereal.
Even though people here eat meat hardly ever, still, it’s served in restaurants and cafes. The tastiest meat meal that everyone has to try is sorpotel. It’s stew beef with co-products and a bunch of spice. One more popular meat dish here is niyama nan dizi. It’s an unusual fusion of meat and bananas. We would also recommend you to get ugali and naan. Mchicha salad has a very peculiar taste, it consists of spinach with curry and peanut butter. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Top hotels in Zanzibar Island for business trip or short vacation
Zanzibar offers travelers a decent selection of high-quality hotels. Many people choose the luxury hotel Maru Maru situated in Stone Town. The hotel occupies an amazing complex of stone … Open
People here grow potatoes but it’s only served as French fries in restaurants. Talking about more vegetables, you can also find here aubergines, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots, but those are a kind of exotic. Then, the majority of dishes are cooked with coconut milk, like, they usually stew meat and vegetables in it, cook diverse curry recipes including fish and seafood ones. Fried bananas are a national meal. These bananas are eaten here as a side dish. They have a rather specific taste and remind of sweet potatoes. Still, everyone who comes here should definitely taste it.
Stone town coast, Zanzibar We highly recommend to order fish and seafood – the base of the national cuisine, there is a great variety of it and local chefs do know how to cook it. So, try octopus meals, you can order it stew, grilled or in coconut milk. It’s basically amazing in any variation. Oh, and take squids, they taste the best when fried with spice and served with French fries or vegetables.
Shopping in Zanzibar Island - main shopping streets, outlets and boutiques
You should go shopping in Zanzibar or Stone Town. It is recommended to visit the Zanzibar shopping gallery. You will find antiques and handicrafts from all over Africa here. You can buy … Open
People here prefer fruit instead of casual desserts. Anyway, you can easily find crepes with sweet fillings and different pastries. You should order halua – a local almond dessert. Besides, the majority of the island’s cafes will offer you chapati with honey.
Concerning drinks, spicy tea is extremely popular here. Don’t forget about fresh-squeezed tropical juices. If we’re talking about alcohol, Kilimanjaro beer is the one to mention. It’s not expensive and also pretty good.
Guide to Zanzibar Island sightseeing - things to see and to visit
Zanzibar is the picturesque archipelago, the main treasure of which is unique nature and fabulously beautiful beaches. The archipelago includes the island of the same name, which has long … Open
Islamic rules govern the island, so alcohol is not widely spread here. There is beer in most restaurants and they certainly offer a wine list, but, if you go to small places, ask about it in advance. There are no fast food restaurants on Zanzibar Island. On the other hand, street food is especially decent here – seafood barbecue, grilled corn and potatoes. You can find it only in Stone Town though, in front of House of Miracles.
The major part of restaurants is located in Stone Town – the capital city. Chit Chat is a really good one with mice sorpotel. The place’s specialty is the local cuisine. Then, you always can grab a snack on beaches in small cafes. Like Jambiani beach, for instance. Go have a lunch in Captain Cook Equinox, it’s rather expensive here, but you can actually bargain and double low the total check. The Fisherman restaurant on Kendwa beach serves nice seafood and cool beer and salads also worth trying. Don’t forget to come by Livingstone bar. You can seat at the open terrace there and enjoy live music.
Family holidays with kids in Zanzibar Island. How to entertain your child, things to show to children.
Most families with kids are sceptical about flying to Zanzibar Island, but actually, it’s no longer than to Phuket. On the other hand, there are no direct flights, so get yourself … Open
Ocean Grill serves a great variety of seafood. Yet, you’ll have to wait way long for it (about a whole hour). It’s actually the problem of most local places. Then, Monsoon is one more restaurant that offers sea menu – it’s lovely but remember that they don’t take cards. The place cooks a great variety of local recipes. Zafarani is an expensive one. It’s one of the top restaurants on the island, prices are high, fish and seafood a delicious.
Stay for a dinner at Odyssey. There is a fish menu there, tuna is especially tasty. In case you’re sick and tired of trying local meals, you can go to one of the European places. For example, Amore Mio offers Italian food and alcohol, limoncello in particular. What is more, you can get Spanish tapas in Taperia with beer. There is also a Japanese Lemongrass here on the island – it’s expensive but very modern. Dishes are pretty delicious and, besides, you can enjoy a breath-taking city view from a balcony.
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National cuisine of Tanzania

Besides meat, seafood occupies an important place in the diet of Tanzanians. Fish baked in banana leaves, octopus stew, shells, lobsters, shrimps and other seafood have a special taste. They are served with vegetables or seaweed seasoned with various spices. The latter enjoy a special attention in the country. There are plantations of cloves and other spices in Tanzania. they are added to many dishes to make the taste even more saturated and unique. Different types of crops, including corn, peas, and rice, are used as a side dish. Tanzanians grow unsweetened bananas that somehow resemble potatoes. These fruits are also widely used in cooking. One of the most delicious treats of Tanzanian cuisine is nyama-na-ndizi, which is meat stewed with bananas. … Open

Cuisine and restaurants in the neighbours of Zanzibar Island

Antananarivo
Rice occupies a special place in the Malagasy cuisine – locals eat it three times a day regardless of their income level. When you’re thirsty, it’s time to try ranovola or rice water. The recipe of this drink is very simple – water is boiled together with ... Open »
Addis Ababa
Almost all traditional dishes are prepared with the addition of various spices and seasonings. Basil, saffron, mustard, coriander, thyme, red pepper and other spices are added to meat and vegetables to give a special flavor, which makes dishes spicy and different from ... Open »
Victoria
The Kaz Zanana restaurant is another original gastronomy destination of the island offering its guests a scale choice of pastry, fruit desserts and refreshing drinks. Each day a bright large hall of the eating house attracts fans of hot pastry, delicious desserts and ... Open »
Mahe Island
Local seafood is extremely popular as well. People here especially like cooking tek-tek seashells and crabs. Kilo zourit – octopus curry tastes pretty special. Moreover, if you don’t mind British cuisine, you can order a local version of fish-and-chips. ... Open »
Djibouti City
Lac Assal is an excellent national restaurant where visitors are offered all the most popular treats and drinks. The restaurant's hall is decorated in full accordance with national traditions, Lac Assal is perfect for special occasions and celebrations. Melting Pot ... Open »
Pretoria
The restaurant Kream will be good for the official banquet or romantic supper. Elegant décor, wealthy assortment of dishes and original dish serving – there is everything you need for creation of the festive mood. Kream’s visitors can choose one of the tables in ... Open »
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