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Zanzibari cuisine reflects several heterogeneous influences, as a consequence of the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nature of
Between the 15th century and the 16th century, the Portuguese Empire, Portuguese quickly conquered most of the coast, including Zanzibar. The main Portuguese influences on Zanzibari cuisine was the introduction of those that would become major types of staple food in Zanzibar, namely manioc, maize and pineapple.
In 1651, the Portuguese lost control of Zanzibar to the Omani sultanate. The Omanis brought new spices and intensified the commercial relationships between Zanzibar and India; as a consequence, Indian recipes such as chutney, spice mix, masala, biryani, curry, fish cakes and samoosa (samosa) made it to Zanzibar. Most recipes of foreign origin were adapted to the ingredients that were available on the island, thus giving birth to a largely original "fusion" cuisine.
Around the beginning of the 20th century, most of the African Great Lakes region was colonised by the Germans and the British. Those did not mix with the local population as much as the Arabs, Persians and Indians had done, and their influence on Zanzibari cuisine is less evident; yet, some very common Zanzibari recipes, such as pepper steak, can be generically defined as having a European origin.
Zanzibari cuisine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zanzibari Cuisine East African cuisine Swahili culture Tanzanian cuisine Culture of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...
's and Swahili heritage. It is a mixture of various culinary traditions, including Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
, Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
, Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
, British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and even Chinese cuisine.
Early history
The first inhabitants of Zanzibar were Bantu peoples, Bantus coming from mainland Tanzania Mainland, Tanganyika. They consisted of mostly fishing, fishers and their diet thus consisted of primarily seafood, such as tuna, Mackerel as food, mackerel, lobster, Squid as food, squid, Octopus as food, octopus and oysters. Other ingredients and recipes brought by Bantus that are found in today's Zanzibari cuisine (some of which became widespread during European colonialism) are common beans, sweet potatoes, manioc chips, Yam (vegetable), yam and plantain (cooking), plaintain. In the 9th century, Omanis, Yemenis and Persian people, Persians began colonizing the Swahili Coast, including the Zanzibar Archipelago. They brought new dishes and ingredients, most notably spices, coconut, mango, citrus and rice. One of the most common Zanzibar recipes, the pilaf, ''pilau'' (''pilaf'') ''rice'' (i.e., rice, coconuts, nuts and spices), clearly reflects its Arab origin.
Between the 15th century and the 16th century, the Portuguese Empire, Portuguese quickly conquered most of the coast, including Zanzibar. The main Portuguese influences on Zanzibari cuisine was the introduction of those that would become major types of staple food in Zanzibar, namely manioc, maize and pineapple.
In 1651, the Portuguese lost control of Zanzibar to the Omani sultanate. The Omanis brought new spices and intensified the commercial relationships between Zanzibar and India; as a consequence, Indian recipes such as chutney, spice mix, masala, biryani, curry, fish cakes and samoosa (samosa) made it to Zanzibar. Most recipes of foreign origin were adapted to the ingredients that were available on the island, thus giving birth to a largely original "fusion" cuisine.
Around the beginning of the 20th century, most of the African Great Lakes region was colonised by the Germans and the British. Those did not mix with the local population as much as the Arabs, Persians and Indians had done, and their influence on Zanzibari cuisine is less evident; yet, some very common Zanzibari recipes, such as pepper steak, can be generically defined as having a European origin.
Post-independence
After independence, Tanzania established a strong relationship with China; Chinese physicians, engineers, and military consultants came to Zanzibar. Although only a small fraction of today's Zanzibari population have Chinese origins, some recipes and ingredients, such as soy sauce, have become commonplace on the island.References
Zanzibari cuisine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zanzibari Cuisine East African cuisine Swahili culture Tanzanian cuisine Culture of Zanzibar