Tanzanian Food- An Overview

Imagine you are walking down the street and you see a group of young people standing around a table set with a plate piping hot glob of cooked corn starch (Ugali) paired with a fish soup made from fresh fish from the Indian Ocean. A local looks at you and says Karibu Kula- Welcome come eat. So you walk over to the eight or so people surrounding the giant plate. You are promptly offered water to wash your hand then you waste no time sinking your hand into ugali and sharing a meal with so many people you’ve never met before with only two words exchanged. While eating you are encouraged to eat more and reminded to not be shy when it comes to the fish. You say one word – Asante you receive the response Karibu tena. You leave full without even leaving a shilling. The Tanzanians did not want my money, they just wanted to share their food with me.

This story exemplifies my experience with food in Tanzania- a Delicious experience that connects me with so many different people in the country. Even in one of the poorest countries in the world, it is not uncommon for people to reach into their pockets and buy me some food as an act of kindness.

Food is by far one of my favorite aspects about traveling in Tanzania, the food the people, and the culture that revolves around the food truly satisfies my soul like no other country can. My opinion is actually very different from what many European travelers have told me- they say Tanzanian food is bland and repetitive. Although this statement has some truth to it you should not have the same culinary expectations as you would in France or Italy because Tanzanian food is not worse or better it is just DIFFERENT.

So what is Tanzanian food exactly? The many different cultures of Tanzania have their own specialty foods, but some common national foods are Rice, ugali, potatoes, chapati beef, chicken, all kinds of fish, beans, and other vegetables. Typically the dishes are heavy on carbs and light on protein. I honestly believe the average American person eats more meat daily than a Tanzanian family of four. Most Tanzanians (especially women) are very good at cooking. Cooking with fire outside or even at the beach is very common. My Friends and I have even slaughtered a chicken and cooked it entirely at the beach.

A common phrase I hear is Tanzania kuna chakula- In Tanzania there is food! . A very high percentage of people’s work has something to do with food like farming, fishing, cooking, ect. Many Tanzanians have proudly told me how rice from Tanzania is exported and feeds the world. Although hunger is a problem in the country like every other country in the world it has not been affected by widespread hunger like some other poor countries. Whenever I’m in America I'm always astounded by how such a rich country can be so stingy with their food. While in Tanzania they are so generous with it.

In Tanzania home cooked food is much more cherished than meals from restaurants. The word Mgahawa which means restaurant in Swahili is solemnly used. The reality is that very few Tanzanians have extra money for luxurious restaurant experiences. Instead of going to restaurants we eat the food of Maman’tilie this is a Swahili phrase unique to Tanzania, Maman’tile are the women who cook and sell food thus making it accessible and affordable to so many people in the country, specifically for young single men like myself. Cooking on our own we need to buy soap, charcoal, rice, beans, unions, and more, by the time it’s all said and done we could have saved money by eating out. These women save us time, and money, and keep us fed. It’s important to note that Mama’ntilie is a person, not a place. Us customers have a special relationship with these chefs, we are loyal customers and prefer to eat from a select few rather than a different Mama every meal.

If any Maman’tile are reading this I want to say Asante Sana.-

Food is such a broad topic this is just an overview post but I will discuss different food subtopics in future posts.