When you’re looking for rich flavours, sauces, and spice, look no further than Tanzania. It has over 100 tribes with rich cultures, and in this piece, we bring you the famous Tanzanian dishes. Mind you, the food is diverse in terms of flavoured ingredients to serve the different cultures.
Thanks to the fresh foods available there, let’s say it’s one of Africa’s countries with the best meals. As you will see, some of the food is similar across East Africa. Here are some of the best dishes to try when visiting this country.
Famous Tanzanian dishes
1. Sima/Ugali
How about a national staple dish loved and enjoyed by the locals? Ugali is a typical African meal and one of the famous Tanzanian dishes. The only difference is in the texture, which is either softer or harder, and the name. In Tanzania, it is commonly also known as Sima.
Sima is versatile, and you can use it alongside other proteins and veggies. For those who don’t eat it often, it may be flavourless, and that’s still okay because you don’t eat it as is. We must always pair it with other meals like sardines, fish, beans, and vegetables.
If you want to increase its nutritional value and flavour, consider adding sorghum and millet to make it even better tasting.
Check: is Ugali healthy blog
2. Ugali Dagaa
One of the best-tasting meals is this ugali dagaa. You already know Ugali; we like eating it with different proteins and veggies. Dagaa is one of the easiest to find because it’s cheaper and remains a popular meal.
Dagaa is closer to sardines, and it’s popular across Tanzania. It’s usually from a freshwater lake and sun-dried before selling. You only need onions, tomatoes, lime, water, chillies, oil, and spices.
3. Ugali na maharage ya nazi (ugali and coconut beans)
Here is another national dish because it’s cheap and easy to make. Ugali is just a harder maize meal; porridge served with beans in coconut milk. You would easily find this meal on the streets or at home. We use the local spices to make the beans and add coconut milk for this meal.
4. Makande
It’s very similar to irio or githeri, with the difference being that the corn in makande uses dry corn with the epidermis or the outer part of the seed removed. They then mix maize with whichever kind of beans you have and boil. When it’s ready then, they fry it with onions and tomatoes.
In Tanzania, though, they also like to cook it in coconut sauce, which flavours the meal. You can add vegetables to make it even better tasting.
Check: How to cook githeri
5. Mchemsho
The precise meaning of the word “Mchemsho” is boiled in Swahili. This recipe originated in the northern regions of Tanzania and often consists of various ingredients—Irish potatoes or green bananas, cabbages, meat or chicken, green beans, onions and tomatoes.
Its versatility means you can readily add the ingredients of your choice for the perfect flavour and kick. Traditionally, this dish is served during special occasions or in other places during the cold season.
It’s a versatile recipe, thus allowing you to add whichever spices or ingredients you want.
Rice dishes
6. Pilau
The origins of pilau are associated with India, which settled in Tanzania. They brought their spices and food culture, which the country adopted. It makes one of the best rice dishes. Let’s say it’s a flavorful rice style, and you can make it with different kinds of meat.
Pilau is a mix of flavoured meats like fish, beef, mutton, chicken, and rice. If you like to eat pilau with veggies, you can substitute them with peas, carrots, and other veggies. You can also add salads to make it into a whole meal.
Pilau is commonly taken in festivals and fun events.
7. Wali wa nazi (coconut rice)
Another typical meal is just wali wa nazi. The coastal part of Tanzania is popularly known for readily having coconut. While we cook many coconut dishes, rice is one of the easiest and most common types of meals.
Rice is a common meal in Tanzania and one of the most common accompaniments. This is just rice made with coconut milk. It is served with different meats, beans, fish, and veggies.
Like most other meals we are mentioning here, wali wa nazi is also common in Kenya and Uganda.
8. Biryani
This tasty, flavorful one-pot rice meal contains spices and rich flavours. It is originally from India and features a special meat dish called Rojo, which is cooked specially and served over rice. It’s delicious and easy to make, but we make it during major festivals like pilau.
9. Wali na maharage ya nazi (rice and coconut beans)
Like other countries in East Africa, Tanzanians love beans in different forms. One everyday meal is rice and coconut beans because they are cheaper, versatile, and easy to make. The rich coconut milk gives the beans a richer flavour, texture, and thickness.
Fish dishes
10. Samaki wa kupaka (grilled fish in coconut sauce)
Nothing screams the coastal sides of East Africa like samaki was kupaka. It features a blend of local Swahili spices and coconut milk that we grill and cook in spicy coconut milk. It’s a delicious, smoky, rich and flavorful dish.
To prepare it, you must make the coconut and tamarind sauce. This rich and spicy sauce has a zesty flavour. Next, you grill the fish. When it’s almost done, you baste or brush the sauce over the fish and allow it to cook on one side and then the other. Then, you pour a little more over the fish and let it cook some more.
We serve the fish with the remaining sauce. It is best eaten with chapati, naan or coconut rice.
11. Mchuuzi wa samaki (fish stew)
Like most other East African countries, Tanzania has oceanic and freshwater lake fish. Mchuuzi wa samaki is another one of the most common options. It’s just a fish curry recipe that you make the Swahili way. Add onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, ginger, and curry powder. If you like, you can also add coconut milk.
However, if you would like the smokey flavour, it’s best to use char-grilled fish, but you can also use deep-fried fish, and you will still have the rich flavour.
Meat dishes
12. Nyama choma (grilled meat)
Just like in Kenya, this is one of the most common styles of meat. It refers to flavourful grilled meat that they make with a blend of spices. In Tanzania, they marinate this meat with different local spices and then grill or roast it. We eat it with chips, ugali chapati, or rice.
13. Mchuuzi wa kuku (Chicken stew)
This is chicken stew; they can cook it in coconut sauce. You can fry the chicken pieces in onions, peas, or other vegetables. At this point, you can cook them in a rich coconut milk sauce. This richly flavoured chicken is then served with steamed rice or ugali.
14. Maini rosti (Liver roast/fry)
Another popular meal is liver fry. Add onions, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, ginger, garlic, and other spices when making the fry recipe. It’s a blend of flavours that is easy to make but also delicious and versatile. Serve it with chapati and rice.
15. Kuku wa kupaka (Grilled coconut chicken)
This one is like the samaki wa kupaka. The chicken pieces cook in a rich coconut-based sauce. Notice that you expect the smokey flavour. We serve this meal with coconut rice or just steamed. If you like, you can substitute the chicken with shrimp for this recipe.
Street foods
Most major towns in Tanzania are Swahili-based, which brings along the rich Swahili street foods. We mention a few, but we have much more in this category.
16. Samosa
Also known as sambusa, these triangular deep-fried pastries with meat and veggie filling are often spicy and crispy yet succulent. They make the perfect snack or side dish for chips and other meals—talk of some of Tanzania’s most delicious, hot, and filling street foods.
Check our blog: Swahili snacks galore
17. Chips mayai
You can’t talk of Tanzanian street foods without the mention of chips mayai. It’s a signature street dish, especially since it makes a whole meal. It features regular French fries with beaten eggs in a pan with very little oil. At some stalls, the cooks add extra condiments like bell peppers, a dash of chilli peppers, onions, and tomatoes.
They will then mostly eat it with kachumbari.
18. Urojo (Zanzibar mix)
This is a typical street food found mainly in Zanzibar. While it’s a soup, it makes a whole meal, and it takes a little bit of time to make since it has some toppings you need to have when making it.
It usually contains bananas or potatoes and is made smooth with bhajias, coconut chutney, and hot sauce, among other things.
19. Mhogo (cassava)
Like other East African countries, Tanzania is famous for its versatile edible cassava. This type of cassava is cut into pieces and then deep-fried.
Sometimes, they make it to a crisp size, and other times, they make it thick. Once it’s cooked, they serve it with salt and chillies as a snack. However, you can cut it into chunk pieces and fry it with onions and tomatoes.
20. Vitumbua
When craving some sweet cakes, try these Vitumbuas. Vitumbuas are round rice cakes made using blended rice, coconut milk, spices, and sugar. They can be fluffy inside, but they’re often crispy inside. They make the best snack choice for a hot cup of coffee at 4:00 p.m.
21. Zanzibar pizza
Zanzibar pizza has gained popularity worldwide, just like the beautiful island where its name originates. This pizza is common because many people visit Zanzibar.
This pizza’s preparation procedure is unique and differs from the traditional Italian version. When preparing the “Zanzibar pizza,” you need an unleavened dough, often thin and perfectly stretched, after which you fill it with various ingredients.
The final result of this pizza is usually crispy, chewy, and delicious. This recipe usually resembles a pancake, especially since it is folded on the sides and then fried in ghee until it attains a crispy texture.
Are there sweet versions of this pizza? Yes, other combinations of this pizza include bananas, peanut butter, mangoes, and chocolates as ingredients.
22. Mishakiki
Another of the most common street foods is skewered grilled meat. It’s almost similar to kebabs, but we marinate the meat( beef, mutton, or chicken) and grill it over an open flame.
People eat it as is, or they sometimes add chapati, chips, or rice to make it a complete meal.
Banana (ndizi) dishes
There are different types of bananas in Tanzania and Uganda, so bananas are one of the staple dishes.
23. Supu ya ndizi (banana soup)
This bowl is for those who like soup, particularly banana soup. We make it with green bananas, onions, and garlic, and coconut milk is added to enrich it. It’s a versatile soup in that we use different local spices to enhance it.
This soup is a light starter meal and is primarily common among the coastal people.
24. Ndizi kaanga (fried plantains)
This is the fried plantain, which I know you are already familiar with. Sometimes, Ndizi kaanga refers to green bananas that we fry and then sprinkle with cinnamon to make the perfect dessert. I know you probably have this one already.
25. Ndizi ya nyama ( banana and meat stew)
This banana recipe is one of the most common types across East Africa, but we only refer to it differently depending on the country.
It features the green bananas and meat stew. It’s very similar to make, but they refer to it as ndizi Bukoba. If you like Ugandan dishes, you probably already have heated matoke, similar to this meal.
This meal is one of the easiest to make because you need to boil the bananas with the meat, and your meal is ready.
Veggies dishes
Like the countries neighbouring us, we have vegetable dishes, but here we will show you some famous vegetable dishes.
26. Ugali mchicha
It’s widespread among East Africans to eat ugali and mboga. Well, mchicha is one of the traditional veggies you would probably have had already. Mchicha is the same as amaranth; you can make it by frying onions and tomatoes.
27. Ugali kisamvu
Kisamvu refers to cassava leaves and is a popular delicacy among the Tanzanians. They pound it with onions, chillies, ginger, and garlic and then let it cook for a little bit. After this, cook it in oil, add onions, more spice, and sometimes coconut milk. The accompaniment here is ugali.
Other common
28. Chapati
Chapati is another one of the most common accompaniments. It’s a flatbread that we make using all-purpose flour, water, salt, and sometimes sugar. Notice that we mention it a lot as an accompaniment. We mostly eat it alongside many of the proteins.
29. Chai ya maziwa (milk tea)
This chai is a typical breakfast drink, although some take it any time of the day. It contains a blend of spices, sugar, water, and milk.
30. Mahamri na mbaazi za nazi
If you are along the coast, this will be visible during breakfast. Mahamri is a kind of fried bread that they make with all-purpose flour, sugar, cardamom and coconut milk. We often serve mahamri with mbaazi la nazi, which is another type of beans they make with coconut milk.
There are over 100 tribes in Tanzania, and they all have unique dishes. The ones we mention here are not the only ones they have; they are some of the most common.