Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Zanzibar Part 3: a Foodie's Paradise

Every foodie can sense when something good is coming your way. A trip to Italy, for example, would tell you that great pasta, wine, and fresh veggies are coming. A trip to Nigeria (personal bias) means freshly pounded yam, rich vegetable stews, and all the sweet fried plantains you can stomach. But a trip to Zanzibar? A trip to Zanzibar means plentiful seafood, a variety of spices, and unique flavors galore. Aside from the good fun and great company, my favorite part of the holidays was eating my way through the island!! 

A 15 minute Christmas Dinner at a bus stop along the way

Pilau (delciously seasoned rice), cabbage,
and stir-fried vegetables.

My first meal on the island!

Roasted kingfish with white rice and coconut curry from
Coco de Mer Hotel

Stone Town Food market and a new friend Loti: my nightly entertainment. Home to a variety of seafood and meat kebobs, octopus, lobster, fried sweet bananas, roasted breadfruit, coco bread, stuffed crepe pizzas, giant falafel, and freshly pressed sugar cane juice with a hint of lie and ginger. Yum!!! The best part: you get to test out your bargaining skills!

Loti's stand. 

Success! Coco bread, salad, and barracuda kebabs.


Freshly-pressed cane juice with ginger and lime. 


Yum!!

Breakfast at Hotel Kiponda, a definite culinary highlight. Delicious granola and freshly made yogurt, ripe seasonal fruits like mango and pineapple, made-to-order Spanish omelets, and my personal favorite - fresh juice of the day, complete with picturesque views.




This is rabavan, or bungu fruit. Makes one of the most delicious
juices in the world. Also had avacado juice - yum!!!

Date (the fruit) stands.

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was the trip through Estella Market, named after a former Minister's wife.

Outside Estella Market. 

Fresh fish anyone?

Inside the market. 

Octopus! Yum!

Shark fin? I'll pass...

Yellow fin tuna really does have yellow fins!

This is the meat market. 

Zanzibar spices!! 

And more spices...

I bought several of these packets!

And more spices!

How many different varieties of bananas can you
count? (Clue: it's more than 1)

Fruits and spices. 


Some of the biggest pineapples I've ever seen!

Dried octopus and crayfish. Hmm...

A coastal fruit. 

"Zanzibar apple." I tried it and I think I'll stick with MacIntosh.


The chicken market. 

Once we left Stone Town, I tried a variety of restaurants and eateries along the coast. I don't remember having a bad meal...

Seafood burger with "chips" and salad. YUM!!

Possibly the best meal I've ever eaten .Seriously.

You should've seen my smile after the meal! :) 

Tomato basil soup for starters. 

An amazing tuna steak with secret flavors, spiced Zanzibar
potatoes, and mixed vegetables. The BEST meal EVER!

I only left the lime...

A taste of Lobster for New Year's Eve...

Lobster and fish curry, rice, spinach, and chapiti. A traditional
start to the New Year.

Lobster is the way to ring in the New Year.

Rock Lobster on New Year's Day. 


Not one lobster, but three!

Dar Es Salaam has some yummy food too!

Fish, veggies, rice, and beans!

Final meal in Tanzania. Roasted matoke (green plantain)
and roast goat. Mmmm.




3 comments:

  1. YUM YUM YUM!!!! You are making my mouth water with all that deliciousness! I love spices and those spices looked like heaven! Oh, I am so full from another day of eating in Italy but those pictures made me hungry again! Glad you ate some wonderful food!!!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Angela! I've been looking at your blog too and it makes my tummy grumble. Hopefully we'll plan a trip where we can eat our way through a country together! :)

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  2. it was a wonderful chance to visit this kind of site and I am happy to know. thank you so much for giving us a chance to have this opportunity.. zanzibar taxi fares

    ReplyDelete