Zanzibar, the Spice Island

Variety is the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour.

(William Cowper)

Jambo!

I went to Zanzibar a year ago for my honeymoon and the island was a total discovery for me. My husband wanted to go on a Safari to Tanzania because some colleagues, who used to work there, spoke really well about the country, especially about the island which was like the perfect holiday retreat for them. And they were right! I really loved Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar City, which is also UNESCO World Heritage Center. I liked getting lost in the streets and seeing the local people while admiring the Zanzibar doors that have Arab, Indian and European influences.

Rooftop (Emerson on Hurumzi Tea House Restaurant)

But what I really loved was the food. I fell in love with Zanzibar cuisine. For me, eating is one of the greatest pleasures in life and trying Zanzibar food was a savouring journey through flavours. The cuisine is a mixture of different cultures such as Arab, Indian and Swahili. Birynai rice, Ugali, coconut soup or the tropical fruits were some of my favourites. Although the breakfasts at the hotels were beyond all expectations with such a great service. We were always greeted with smiles by the members of the staff and welcomed with tropical juices.

We learnt a funny fact. Mzungu is the name for red bananas in Swahili but it's also a term used to refer to foreigners, to someone with white skin. I found it so funny as we also have a term in Spanish for foreigners: guiri. I couldn't get rid of the Mzungu word that was stuck in my head for weeks.

My husband and I didn't want to finish our trip without taking a local cooking class and a spice tour. I highly recommend doing both of them. We met with a local family who taught us how to cook traditional African meals and it was fun, especially because my husband and I felt useless a couple of times as we were unable to cut some of the vegetables without a cutting board and it took us ages to cut them while the local family could do it in the blink of an eye. It was shocking for us to see how they could prepare so many meals so quickly with a few kitchen appliances and cutlery. But it was nice to spend the afternoon with them learning about their recipes and lives, and walking around the Spice Farm where we ended up eating our cooked food.

It was a memorable honeymoon trip with a delightful culinary journey.

ASANTE ZANZIBAR (THANK YOU)