Best Street Foods in Zanzibar for Foodies
Zanzibar Island features a wide range of amazing restaurants and cafes, but sometimes the Zanzibari fast foods found on the streets are the best! Street food in Zanzibar means fresh, delicious and cheap, besides your order is prepared right in front of you, so this means there will be no awful surprises. Moreover, there is something naturally interesting and authentic about a street stall or food truck. You are definitely guaranteed a delicious and soulful food prepared with care and steadiness from the local cook in charge. With our Zanzibari experience, here are some of the best street foods to try in Zanzibar.
Urojo Soup
Popularly known as Zanzibar mix, Urojo is a favourite street food in Zanzibar. You’ll find several street vendors in Stone Town serving this soup dish. Urojo soup is a Zanzibari bowl of curry soup prepared with spicy and flavourful toppings. It’s usually cooked with flour, coconut milk, mango and lemon, and topped with a variety of toppings such as coconut chutney, crispy bhajias, onion slices and mashed potatoes. You can find it Darajani, a local market in Zanzibar in evenings. There’s a stall under a tree on Mizingani Street for those located around the harbour.
Mshikaki
Mshikaki is one of the favourite street foods in Zanzibar. Enjoy a night out with your friend with Mshikaki – skewered pieces of marinated meat on a stick grilled on open coals. It is mostly served in open air bars and outside nightclubs on the streets. The meat served varies from beef to mutton and chicken. A Mshikaki stand is usually crowded due to huge demand from both locals and tourists.
Chapati
Who doesn’t love chapati after the first bite? Chapati is common street food in Zanzibar. It’s an unleavened flatbread beautifully wrapped in paper. It’s simply delicious; you can enjoy it with Masala chai tea.
Chipsi Mayai – “chips and eggs”
Chipsi mayai means “chips and eggs” and it’s a popular street food in Zanzibar. It’s simply chips and omelette. The simplicity of the meal is what makes it fascinating. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have it for breakfast. It is prepared with freshly peeled potatoes, which are fried to a crispy yellow colour. Chipsi Mayai is locally available at the street food stands or you can find it at the Forodhani Gardens – night market in Zanzibar.
Nyama Choma
Nyama Choma is a popular barbecued meat in East Africa. It’s also a favourite street food in Zanzibar and the most common type of meat is the goat meat. The meat is prepared and grilled in front of you in hot open coals to give it a pleasing smoky taste and aroma. Nyama Choma is best enjoyed with drinks – a great way to spend your afternoon in Zanzibar.
Zanzibar Pizza
You must have eaten pizza in some of the finest eateries around the world. However, nothing beats the Zanzibar pizza mostly available at Forodhani Gardens and some street stalls. The taste is almost like the pizza we eat, but it’s usually fried. It’s a sheet of dough filled with a variety of ingredients such as pepper, meat, onions, raw egg, and a slice of cream cheese. The dough is then wrapped up into a tortilla shape and then fried in hot oil. At the night market, you will find lots of stalls with sellers calling you to patronise them. It is delicious and expensive too.
Sugarcane Juice
Sugarcane Juice is a refreshing drink in Zanzibar. The juice is extracted from sugarcane and mixed with lime and ginger. You’ll find several vendors at the Forodhani Gardens or the local markets.
Roving Coconuts
You’ll find vendors pushing bamboo carts filled with coconuts roaming the streets of Stone Town looking for people to buy their roving coconuts. They lop the coconuts open with a machete and then add some rum to the coconut juice. It’s very tasty and you can also enjoy the ‘coconutty’ flesh if you have a spoon to scoop it.
Zanzibar Tea
Zanzibar chai tea is one of the favourite delicious drinks on the island. The tea is a mix of milk, honey, black tea and spices and herbs like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and red chilli, which makes it more flavourful and heartening. There are several places to enjoy chai tea in Zanzibar such as Chai Kahawa, Stone Town Cafe, and Beyt Al Chai restaurant. You must not leave the island without having a taste of chai tea!