Swahili cuisine is the epitome of great foods in East Africa. It offers various flavors, colors, richness and delicious food. While they have many meals to show, Swahili snacks are some of the most unique snacks you could ever have.
Swahilis are also available in Tanzania, so the snacks you have here are the same in parts of Tanzania. They are primarily known as coastal street foods you will also find during Ramadhan.
By the way, this blog is far from complete if we haven’t talked about Swahili cuisine. So, let’s delve into this topic.
1. Mitai (its little doughnuts coated with frozen sugar)
As the name suggests, they’re the sweet treats most people can’t keep their hands off. While they may seem complex, you will not even break a sweat when you learn to make them. As earlier suggested, they are available across East Africa.
It uses flour, sugar, and oil to deep fry.
2. Kaimati
Here, you have the sweet dumplings that you deep fry and then coat with sugary syrup. They tend to be soft on the inside and then crunchy outside. Don’t be mistaken, though they aren’t the same as Mitai.
3. Vitumbua
These are the famous rice cakes an addictive rice vegan doughnuts. When you eat them and are made right, they will melt perfectly in the mouth. In most cases, it’s flavorful and it’s also delicious.
It’s perfect, and it’s usually mildly sweet, not to mention easy to make, and you will have them often at around 4 pm. in the streets.
4. Mkate wa sinia(rice cake bread)
It stands out for its sweetness yet spongy texture. I should mention that tea, or Chai, is a staple in Kenya, and we mostly take it with bread. This is one of the best bread types you can use for it.
It’s not one of the easiest snacks to cook, but it’s utterly delicious and will fulfill you. We call it mkate was sinia but then its also mkate was kumimina. Of course, if you have never been to East Africa, you may not know this bread, but you should try to make it.
You will enjoy this option if you can make spongy and fluffy bread. Here, you don’t use wheat flour as we often do; instead, we use rice.
5. Jalebis
When Ramadhan is around the corner, you will have this option ready. I love to take this with coffee. They are easy to make once you learn how to. The Jalebi is crispy on the outside, and then it’s moist outside.
Like the ones above, it has a sugar syrup coating packed with flavors. Whether they are hot or cold is still fine regarding these snacks. Although it’s originally from Persia, we love it as much here.
6. Achari
The thought of these delicious goodies makes my mouth water. It features the best mango cut into small pieces like chips. They make it using food color, sugar, and chillis. It’s another common choice in East Africa.
7. Mabuyu
Here is another one of the most common snacks even in the shops. It’s a sweet snack that they make using the baobab seeds, and then they cook it in sugar syrup with food color, too. In most cases, they also add cardamom to give it even better flavors.
This is one of the delicious snacks passed down through generations. It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old; you will love these snacks.
8. Njugu mawe
This kind of njugu comes in different colors, almost forming rainbow colors. Some call it rock nuts, but it’s more common around areas where we grow groundnuts.
9. Bhajia
This is common not only on the coast but also in other parts of the country. We borrowed it from Indians’ recipe thanks to their settlement in Kenya. To make it, you must use chickpea flour, the perfect street food and snack.
On the streets, you can have them in the morning but also the evening. It’s versatile, and you can use different vegetables. They are deep-fried fritters that feature the use of spices with chickpea flour and spices. It’s usually crispy on the outside and soft inside.
10. Viazi karai
My all-time favorite, and it brings back memories of living in Mombasa and enjoying them in the evening. It features the potatoes coated in spiced flour and then deep-fried. When serving it, they usually use the coconut chutney.
If you will not try any of the snacks, try making this one, as it’s one of the easiest.
11. Kashata
I know it for its sweetness, and maybe too sweet for an adult, but kids love it. This is an East African traditional sweet treat you don’t need to bake. To make it, you need the coconut desiccate or grated coconut.
It’s a cross between candy and cookie. In some cases, they make it using the groundnuts, called Burfi.
12. Half keki/Half cake
This snack is common across East Africa and is also easier to learn. It serves as a side snack when having breakfast or just as a regular snack.
It’s supposed to be crunchy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside. It’s more like a mandazi but with a harder, more crunchy exterior
13. Mombasa pizza
This is another one that cuts across the coastal region. You will find it in Tanzania but also on the Kenyan coast.
To explain it, you need some wheat flour dough, almost like the dough you use to make chapati. You will also need the minced meat filling. The minced meat is usually spiced, though.
Don’t worry; it has not much to do with pizza. You know this can also make a whole side dish to your main meal.
14. Kokotende/visheti/vishanuo
Here is another sweet treat that is usually crunchy with sugar coating and fried dough morsel. Like the others above, one thing that makes them stand out is that you can make them and then have them serve you for up to a week.
15. Kachori/ potato balls
Kachori is a deep-fried snack based on mashed potatoes that are further spiced. I know such are also common in the hotels. While you can use them as snacks, you can also use them as a side dish to a meal.
16. Mshikaki
This is another one of the best-tasting meats, a street food. You can eat it as a snack or main meal, but it’s easy to make.
It features the skewered and grilled pieces of marinated meat we make using chicken, beef, and sometimes mutton. In most cases, they serve them with a tangy sauce.
17. Mahamri
Our blog isn’t done before mentioning Mahamri, and I know most of you will say that it’s for breakfast, but it can also make the best snack.
We call it the deep-fried bread you can always pair with your tea. But make no mistake Mahamri is not mandazi. They are both deep-fried but then very different.
18. Samosa
This is common across Africa and mainly where Indians settled. Borrowed from India, it makes one of the best snacks that is further filling. It features a triangular pastry filled with spiced minced meat. In most cases, you will have it as a savory Swahili snack.
Katlesi
Here, you also have the base being potatoes, which usually has the fillings being meats or chicken. When you want to take your potatoes to a greater level, consider making this katlesi. Of course, it’s a snack, but you can have it as a complete meal.
19. Cassava fries
This reminds me of the Mama Ngina area in Mombasa, where they make all kinds of cassava delectable. I enjoy the fries when they add the pilipili to them, too, and if you want, they will give you tamarind sauce to enjoy it with.
It’s easy to make this one, provided you have the cassava already. The men are always deep-frying the best cassava treats.
20. Uji wa ngano
This was the speedy Swahili snack I was introduced to. Coming from an upcountry, I didn’t understand how wheat can make porridge, and when I tried it, I was forever hooked.
We would mainly consume it at 4 pm, and it made a great snack that sometimes you needed no food in the evening. They make it with coconut milk, barley, and wheat flour. The porridge is so smooth you may never retake the maize flour porridge.
21. Peanut burfi/Kashata za njugu
Suppose you love nuts, then this will serve you best, too. It’s a perfect and sweet delectable only common during the festive season. But you can go to the streets to find them if you crave them. This kashata has a nutty but also crumbly texture.
It is based on peanuts and sugar, which makes the perfect snack or treat.
22. Swahili kebab
One thing about Kenya is that it’s a melting pot of different cultures, and when it comes to Swahili snacks, you sure have them from other cultures, and kebab is just one of them.
It features the use of minced meat spices and a little flour coating. In just a short while, you will have the meal ready. You have the snack or add a salad and some naan to make it into a full meal. Here, we mainly make it skewered, thus closely looking like mshikaki, but it is not the same.
Swahili cuisine features lots of sweets and deep-fried snacks, so you need to eat them cautiously. But when you crave delectable goodness, you should choose from the list of Swahili snacks to make for your family.