National Dish of the Week - Tanzania

A Ramadan Dinner in Tanzania

Tanzania

Tanzanian cuisine is both unique and widely varied. Along the coastal regions (Dar-es-salaam, Tanga, Bagamoyo, Zanzibar & Pemba), spicy foods are common, and there is also much use of coconut milk. Regions in Tanzania's mainland also have their own unique foods. Some typical mainland Tanzanian foods include rice (Wali), Ugali (maize porridge), Chapati (a kind of bread), Nyama Choma (grilled meat), Mshikaki (marinated beef), fish, Pilau & Biryani, Ndizi-Nyama (plantains with meat). Commonly used vegetables include Bamia (okra), Mchicha (a kind of spinach), Njegere (green peas), Maharage (beans) and Kisamvu (cassava leaves).

Famous Snacks: Maandazi (bread rolls), Visheti, Kashata, Kabab, Samosa (Sambusa), Mkate wa kumimina (Zanzibar rice bread), Vileja, Vitumbua (rice patties), Bagia & many others

Since a large proportion of Khoja Indians had migrated into Tanzania, a considerable proportion of Tanzanian cuisine had been influenced by indian cuisine. Famous chefs such as Mohsin Asharia have revolutionised dishes such as Kashata Korma Tabsi and Voodo Aloo. Many Khoja Indians own restaurants in the heart of Dar-es-salaam and have been welcomed by indiginous Tanzanians.


Many people drink tea (Chai) in Tanzania. Usually tea is drunk in the morning, during breakfast with Chapati and Maandazi, and at times at night during supper. Coffee is second, and is usually taken in the evening when the sun is down, and people are on the front porch, playing cards or Bao. Many drink coffee with Kashata (a very sweet snack made from coconut meat or groundnuts).

There are also local beverages depending on the different tribes and regions. Local Brews: For coastal regions, such as Tanga and Dar-es-salaam, Mnazi/Tembo is widely consumed. Other brews include Wanzuki and Mbege among the Chagga, and Lubisi ,Nkencha and Nkonyagi as well as Mbandule among the Haya found on the shore of Lake Victoria.

Ugali - Tanzania

Ugali

If there is anything that can be called Tanzania's national dish, then Ugali would most likely win out. A polenta-style dish made with corn flour, it accompanies cooked meat and a variety of stews, and it's eaten with your hands. Recipes vary from village to village, and everyone has their own way of making it. Many foreigners find it bland and unappealing, but it's worth a try, and some upscale establishments serve it.


UGALI

    Cornmeal Mush

    Yield: 8 portions

One of the foods most frequently used in both East and West Africa is a mush or gruel made by pounding fresh corn and squeezing out the cornstarch. When it is cooked in boiling water to a gruel consistency and used as a breakfast cereal it is called Uji (Ogi, in West Africa). When it is cooked to a thicker consistency, so that it can easily be rolled into a ball, it is called Ugali (Agidi in West Africa).

As a substitute you can use cornmeal grits or buckwheat grits. Africans in our country use any fine white cereal such as Farina or Cream of Wheat. These cereals are surprisingly tasty when served with meat and poultry gravies. Stone- ground white cornmeal can be purchased in specialty food shops.

For added flavor, try cooking cornmeal grits, farina, or any cereal in chicken or beef stock instead of water. The cereals absorb the flavor of the stock and make an excellent accompaniment for meats. Rice and couscous, that wonderful semolina grain used so abundantly in North Africa, are delicious when prepared in this way. In Swahili any thick mush is called Ugali. There is a light Ugali made with cornmeal flour and there is a dark Ugali made with millet flour, and often groundnuts (peanuts) are ground in with the mush.

In a 2-quart saucepan:

Boil rapidly 1 quart WATER or CHICKEN BROTH.

Add: 1 tsp. SALT and
1 cup ANY FINE WHITE CEREAL.

Swirl the cereal into the boiling water and cook according to package directions to a thick heavy mush.

Keep warm over hot water (in a double boiler) until ready to serve.

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Tanzania.html#UGALI