What can you eat in Tanzania? – Important dishes you should know

Immersion in another culture involves a lot of ignorance. You don’t know the language, the cultural code of conduct, the dress code and much more.

Especially when it comes to food, it can be difficult because there are no exact translations of the names of the dishes. In the end, you have to describe them as you know them. Tanzania does indeed have some traditional dishes that you should know when you immerse yourself in this country and its culture.

Tanzania’s Machalari

„Do you like Bananas?” „Yeah sure“

Then she went into the Kitchen and prepared Bananas for me. I thought bananas for dinner are weird. When she returned to the dining room, she had a plate in her hand. It looked like a stew. I looked at it and took a skeptical bite, three people watched me and I grimaced. I did not expect a savory dish. Bananas were always a sweet fruit for me. It was my first time in a tropical country, and I had no idea about the different kinds of bananas here. That stew-looking dish on my plate was something else: Machalari.

That was my first experience with eating traditional Tanzanian food. I have heard many different opinions about their food. Here is an overview of their traditional meals:

What do Tanzanians have for breakfast

A very traditional breakfast in Tanzania is fried dough rolls – mandazi. Fried food is in Tanzania often cooked in oil. They let drip of the oil of course. But it is still very fatty and delicious 😋 with that comes tea or coffee, chai or kahawa (in Swahili). Sometimes they put sugar in the pot of hot beverages. If you try to stay healthy in Tanzania, always ask if it is with sugar or without.

Another less traditional breakfast option is white bread with margarine. Tanzanians also eat pancakes called chapati. That is a common breakfast dish, but it is usually served on special occasions. Another super delicious breakfast dish is green grilled bananas called ndizi choma. You should definitely try this one, it is compared to machalari, the dish I talked about in the intro, not a savory meal but sweet.

Traditional lunch and dinner dishes

Green-cooked bananas with beef – machalari ya nyama. It has its own taste, it is hard to describe it. The consistency is like a goulash (Hungarian dish). Don’t quit trying it if you don’t like it. There are different kinds of green bananas that have different tastes. This dish can also be made without beef as a vegetarian option.

Cornflour porridge with firm consistency and vegetables – Ugali na mboga. The typical working-class dish. The firm corn flour mash doesn’t have any taste. Only the vegetables give it the taste. It is also eaten with tinny tiny fish. Tanzanians eat ugali with their hands. If you want to have a full cultural experience use your hands as well but use your right hand 😉

Rice with beans – wali na maharagwe. I didn’t think that beans can taste differently, but they do, so fresh, so delicious. Make sure you get some excellent maharagwe and dig in.

Rice with fish – wali na samaki. At the market, you can find this tinny tiny fish not more significant than three centimeters. That gives the meal a fishy flavor.

Pileau rice – pileau. This special rice is mostly served for special occasions. It is rice with a particular herb, it tastes delicious, make sure you try that.

Fries and egg – chips mayai. Another too fatty dish is fried potatoes with egg. It looks like an omelet. For the working-class Tanzanians, it is not an everyday meal. You can find this meal at many street restaurants.

Potatoes with veggies, also a kind of stew. This dish does not have a specific name. It is something I would not recommend because Tanzanians don’t use so much salt or hers for it.

A very important Swahili word to remember. Because people love to feed you. I’m full – nimeshiba.

Desserts and other specialties

In Tanzania for dessert, most eat fresh fruits, like oranges, mango, sweet bananas or cookies. Soft drinks are also considered dessert, especially in poor areas it is a common Sunday drink. The Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania has a traditional home-brewed beer, called Mbege. It contains bananas of course 😉 It has a very unique flavor.

Street food in Tanzania

It doesn’t matter where you go. You can find street food almost everywhere or at least the street sellers with their baskets. You definitely shouldn’t miss popcorn on the streets or corn cobs. I love them! There are many other things like fruits, nuts, grilled bananas, chapati or meat sticks. Tanzania is indeed a street food heaven for all kinds of diets!

Being vegetarian or vegan in Tanzania and how to deal with food intolerance

As most food isn’t industrially produced, it is easy to eat dairy-free in Tanzania. You don’t have to take care of all these hidden ingredients, it’s mostly real food. In poor areas meat is actually a luxury. Therefore depending on where you go with who you are, it can sometimes be challenging to be vegetarian or vegan, but most places have at least one vegetarian option that is most of the times also vegan.

So here are some phrases you can use traveling as a vegetarian or vegan in Tanzania: Vegetarian – mboga, I don’t eat any meat – Mimi sili nyama, Vegetarian food – chakula cha mboga. Also if you tell Tanzanians that you don’t eat meat. Some might respond with “but chicken is ok!?” I know it can be frustrating. But be patience and tell them clearly multiple times that you don’t eat chicken or any other animal products.

For everyone with gluten intolerances, there are a few options like ugali, potatoes and rice. And if you are looking for bread, you will find probably something in bigger town supermarkets.

My brother gave me a hint when traveling to a different country, to eat everything first and then I will see how my body reacts and what it doesn’t like. This could have advantages and disadvantages and could bring you straight to the hospital.
Give your body will get used to the different flavors and dishes. Just be conscious and listen to your gut feeling when it comes to eating. Something I love about Tanzanians culture is that at every local restaurant/bistro you have the possibility to wash your hands before and after eating.

I for instance didn’t enjoy milk products from Tanzania. The milk that came directly from the cow tasted salty, I didn’t like it at all and my digestion was also not.