Tanzania’s expansive landscape, versatile indigenous crops, and unique melting pot of cultures mean the country enjoys a diverse and exciting culinary scene. When it comes to savory and sweet snacks, Tanzania offers some of the best options on the continent.
Whether simple roasted corn or urojo flavor depths, Tanzanian snacks are certainly not what you would describe as regular. Here are the top 22 popular snacks in Tanzania that you should absolutely try the next time you are in the East African haven.
Savory Tanzanian Snacks
The abundant presence of fertile soils and favorable climate conditions yields a plentiful array of plants, spices, and herbs. Pair this with a multicultural social makeup and Tanzania boasts a long list of delicious savory snacks.
1. Mahindi ya Kuchoma (Roasted Corn)
A typical Tanzanian snack, roasted corn is enjoyed across Tanzania since corn grows nationwide. While in some northern regions, boiled corn is consumed for breakfast, fire-roasted corn is a popular snack in most major cities. You will especially find roasted corn sold by roadside and street vendors during peak corn harvest season when the flavors are at their best!
You will typically see street vendors with tall homemade charcoal stoves (made from corrugated metal sheets) packed with smoky natural coal. The corn is roasted on the flames for 15 to 20 minutes until char-browned, smoky, and fragrant.
In coastal cities, such as Dar es Salaam, you’ll find flavor enhancers available, typically, freshly ground red chili pepper mixed with salt and small lime wedges. Simply dip the lime in the chili mixture and rub it over the corn to enjoy it Dar es Salaam style!
The best part of trying street-side corn is that it is made fresh to order. You pick your corn of choice and watch the vendor remove the husks and roast it in front of you.
Note: Tanzania traditionally grows white corn, not the sweet yellow corn. While the flavor is different, it’s uniquely delicious.
2. Kitale (Baby Coconut Stuffed with a Boiled Potato and Coconut Chutney Mix)
Kitale is a coastal snack, particularly popular in Dar es Salaam, and is loved by Tanzanians of Indian origin, although indigenous coastal Tanzanians are pretty fond of it too.
Kitale is a small, palm-sized coconut filled with a mixture of boiled potatoes and coconut chutney, sprinkled with red chili pepper. This savory snack is mouthwateringly good, offering a fusion of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors.
Kitale is a favorite treat for families as they take to the beach on a beautiful Saturday or Sunday afternoon. You will also find school kids buying this after-school snack from street vendors.
3. Zanzibar Pizza
Zanzibar pizza is far from what you’d expect of an Italian pizza. In fact, the toppings become fillings and the baking becomes grilling. Zanzibar pizza is made by filling a thin dough with a choice of fillings, such as tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, chilies, and your favorite protein.
Since this snack originates from the Zanzibarian archipelago, seafood, such as octopus and prawns, is a popular filling. In addition to the veggies and protein, the pizza is also stuffed with cheese before the dough is wrapped and sealed.
The stuffed dough is then grilled on a large pan-like griddle until golden brown and served plain, with chutney, or chili salsa. If you ever visit the famed Stone Town Forodhani night market, Zanzibar Pizza is among the favorites worth trying.
4. Urojo (Zanzibar Mix)
A non-local would call urojo a creamy soup. However, urojo is no soup. It’s simply urojo or Zanzibari Mix! This incredible snack combines the simplest ingredients to create something that transports you to heaven.
This masterpiece from Zanzibar is made using a creamy and tangy base of gram flour and atta flour mixed in water. The flour and water mix is then cooked with coconut milk (optional), garlic paste, lemon, mango, and turmeric powder.
But that is not the end of the process. This street snack is usually constructed when a customer orders one. The vendor usually keeps the base hot on a low-lit stove or in a thermos flask. When ready to serve, they pour the piping hot base onto a bowl and then construct it in front of you according to your favorite toppings. While some pick and choose, urojo is best enjoyed with all the toppings added.
Toppings include diced boiled potatoes, mini lentil bhajias, mini kachoris, tiny beef skewers, roasted peanuts, shaved fried potatoes, diced or sliced red onions, mango purée, chili powder, coconut chutney, red chutney, green chutney, green chilies, and chopped cilantro.
Tip: Urojo is perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Simply tell your server to hold the proteins.
5. Mutton or Meat Chop
This mutton chop is an Indian-Tanzanian delicacy and is as filling as it is delicious. It is made by coating a mutton chop with a mix of ground mutton and a blend of spices. It is then dipped in an egg batter and deep-fried until golden. It is served with coconut chutney, lime wedges, and salted, fried green chilies.
6. Egg Chop
If you want to sample meat chop flavors without the mutton, egg chop is an excellent alternative. This recipe uses boiled eggs coated with a spicy minced beef mixture. It is also dipped in egg batter and deep-fried. They are similar to Scotch eggs though with distinctive African flavors.
7. Senene (Seasonal Grasshoppers)
Tanzania also offers a good selection of regional delicacies. Senene is one such example. Originating from the Northwest region of Kagera, today, senene is enjoyed by Tanzanians across the country. It’s worth noting that while senene is delicious, it is an acquired taste. You can also count them among the most weird foods you’ll eat in your life.
Nonetheless, this snack is worth indulging in to truly explore versatile Tanzanian flavors. Senene is a special kind of grasshopper that appears during the rainy seasons. However, this breed only appears in a specific area around northwest Tanzania, southern Uganda, and as far as Rwanda.
Senene are naturally oily so they don’t have oil added to them. They can be pan fried (in their own oil) (senene wa kukaanga) or smoked (senene wa kuoka). You can nibble on senene on their own, pair them with your favorite drink, or have them as a side with northwestern Tanzanian delicacies, ndizi za Bukoba, matoke, or ebitooke (cooked bananas).
8. Sambusa (Samosa)
A close relative of the Indian samosa, Tanzanian (or East African) sambusa is a famed snack. This thin fried pastry is filled with your choice of ingredients before frying until golden brown.
In Tanzania, sambusa can be filled with spicy minced beef, mutton, or lamb and vegetable mix (sambusa za nyama), rice (sambusa za mchele), potatoes, spices, and onions (sambusa za viazi), or vegetables (sambusa za mboga mboga).
9. Kababu (Kebab)
Kababu is just as popular as sambusa and the two are usually paired in local tea shops and enjoyed with tea. Not to be confused with the South Asian seekh or shish kebab, Tanzanian or Swahili kababu is a round or cylindrical ball of minced beef, lamb, or mutton, seasoned with aromatics and spices, such as red onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, cardamom, fenugreek, and more. It’s rather similar to Turkish kebabs, though with a different mix of spices.
The balled-up mixture is then dipped in egg batter and deep-fried until dark brown. Like sambusa, you can enjoy kababu with coconut chutney, green (cilantro) chutney, fresh red onions, chilies, and lime wedges.
10. Katless
Eating a katless takes you through layers of varying flavors that get more interesting with every bite. Katless is a cylindrical boiled potato and spice mix filled with seasoned ground beef, chicken, or fish mix at the center and dipped in egg batter.
Some katless recipes include boiled eggs. The egg-coated potato and meat pastry is then deep-fried until golden for a popular snack. Katless is another popular tea shop snack, although street vendors and women who sell breakfast items also sell it.
11. Bagia (Bhajia)
Bagia is a breakfast favorite and popular snack, typically enjoyed with chai ya maziwa or ya rangi (milk tea or black tea). Another significant Tanzanian snack influenced by Indian cuisine, you can find various types of bagia, depending on the flour used. This is what makes it unique to Tanzania.
Common flour types used for bagia include lentil or gram flour (bagia za dengu) and black-eyed peas or cow pea flour (bagia za kunde). Some home cooks even experiment with ingredients like raw green peas and eggplant. The flour is mixed with baking powder, salt, oil, carrots, green bell peppers, onions, scotch bonnet or Asian chilies(optional), and water to make a thick batter.
Using a spoon or the hands, small portions of the batter are fried to make the irregularly shaped bagia. Bhajias are paired with other sweet or savory breakfast items when served for breakfast. However, when enjoyed as a snack, bagia are served with coconut chutney, chili salsa, green chilies, and freshly sliced red onions.
12. Swahili Kachori
Swahili kachori is what you get if you don’t want the protein fillings that come with katless. This vegetarian and vegan-friendly savory snack is made using boiled potatoes seasoned with aromatics and spices, dipped in egg batter, and deep-fried.
Kachori can be enjoyed on its own, with coconut chutney, or added to the Zanzibar mix. You can also pair it with black or milk tea.
13. Karanga za mayai (Egg Coated Peanuts)
Pan-roasted peanuts are delicious, courtesy of their natural salt and oils. But did you know you can elevate the flavors by coating them with egg, flour (optional), a few spices, and sugar?
This is exactly what the karanga za mayai are. This fun snack can be prepared at home or bought on the street or in supermarkets. Egg-coated nuts go well on their own or paired with tea, coffee, or fizzy drinks.
14. Chapati (Flatbread)
Chapati is a flat, round unleavened bread enjoyed in Tanzania and Kenya. This South Asian-influenced bread is made from simple ingredients, i.e. baking or atta flour, salt, water, and oil. You can enjoy it plain for breakfast, as a snack, use it as a wrap with fillings, or side dish for sauces and stews.
Chapati is made fresh daily in many households in Tanzania and can also be purchased from street stands, tea shops, cafes, and restaurants. Chapati is usually sold all day long due to its versatility.
15. Chapati za Kumimina (Tanzanian Pancakes or Sweet or Savoury Crepes)
A cross between sweet and savory, Tanzanians also enjoy chapati za kumimina, which is not to be confused with regular chapati. As their name suggests, chapati za kumiminia (kumimina meaning to pour) is made from flour, water, oil, salt, or sugar batter instead of dough. Depending on the ingredients, chapati za kumimina can be sweet or savory.
Sweet ones contain sugar, water, oil, and baking flour. Savory ones incorporate flour, salt, water, oil, carrots, bell peppers, and onions. Like regular chapati, chapati za kumimina are home-cooked and sold in various outlets, including street stalls, mama lishe or mama ntilie (women run street stalls selling breakfast, lunch, and dinner), cafes, and restaurants.
Sweet Tanzian Snacks
Coastal Tanzanians (including Zanzibaris) have a sweet tooth. So, expect to find many sweet snacks. Similarly, other regions of Tanzania also make sweet snacks due to the locally grown plants. However, most of these sweet snacks are usually reserved for children, although adults do partake in them today.
16. Mandazi (Fried Dough or Swahili-style Beignets or Donuts)
Mandazi are perhaps the most popular breakfast and snack option. Swahili mandazi are traditionally made using baking flour, yeast, baking soda, sugar, oil or butter, water, and spices, like cinnamon and cardamom. Today, chefs and home cooks add their signature to recipes, incorporating additional ingredients, such as milk, vanilla essence, and sugar dusting.
The ingredients are mixed to form a dough, shaped (usually into triangles or squares), and deep-fried until golden. Mandazi is traditionally enjoyed with chai ya maziwa or rangi.
Almost all eateries in Tanzania, whether cafes, streetside stands, or mama lishe prepare fresh batches of mandazi daily.
17. Vinane or Visheti Vya Namba Nane (Fried Donuts with Sugar Syrup and Coconut Shavings)
Vinane is a sweeter and lesser-known cousin to the mandazi. Nonetheless, they are a favorite, especially in coastal Tanzania and Zanzibar.
As their name suggests, vinane (roughly translated as number 8) uses the same ingredients, preparation, and frying as mandazi. However, they are molded into a number 8 shape. But, after frying, vinane is dipped into a sweet sugary cardamom syrup, coated with coconut flakes and sugar dusting.
18. Kaimati or Kalimati (Sweet Fried Dumplings)
Unlike mandazi or vinane, kaimati or kalimati is made from an ultra-thick batter with yeast added to make it puff up. Reminiscent of the Nigerian puff puff, kaimati are made from a batter of flour, water, vanilla, cardamom, yeast, sugar, and oil.
The batter is then gently picked up using fingertips, made into a ball, and deep-fried until golden brown. While some cooks serve kaimati once fried, others coat them with sugar syrup or sugar dusting before serving. Kaimati goes incredibly well with chai!
19. Ebalagala or Kabalagala (Mini Banana Pancakes)
Ebalagala, balagala, or ebago is a northwestern Tanzanian, particularly the Kagera region, snack, widely consumed within the Lake Victoria region and neighboring Uganda, where it is known as kabalagala. Balagala features a simple two-ingredient recipe.
They are made from sweet ripe bananas, which grow widely in this region alongside green bananas and plantains, mixed with cassava or yucca flour. Because the bananas are naturally sweet, no extra sugar is added.
The bananas and yucca flour are combined to form a dough. The dough is rolled out and a glass is used to cut out small round shapes which are pan-fried until golden. Today, ebalagala is enjoyed by people of all ages, although originally it was an afterschool or after-church snack for children.
20. Vitumbua (Mini Rice Pancakes)
Vitumbia is to maandazi what kababu is to sambusa. Like maandazi, these coastal favorites are a commonly consumed breakfast item and snack. Vitumbua are sweet, hearty, velvety, and filling. They are made from fermented rice flour batter that incorporates water, oil, and spices, like cardamom.
Some cooks even add coconut milk to the batter. To cook vitumbua, you scoop the batter with a ladle and fry it on a specially molded pan (kikaangio cha vitumbua) until brown and crisp.
21. Vibibi (Large Rice Pancakes)
If you have a larger appetite, opt for kitumbua’s older sibling, kibibi. Vibibi and vitumbua are pretty much the same thing, with differences in size alone. Vibibi typically takes the shape and size of an American pancake and accommodates diners who want larger and filling portions.
Vibibi are also less commonly available from outlets like street stands and mama lishe than vitumbua. You are more likely to find them in a few street stalls, from home cooks, or cafes. Vibibi are also more common in the Zanzibar archipelago than in the Tanzanian mainland.
22. Mikate ya Kumimina (Sweet Rice Cake)
Who knew you could get this creative with rice flour? In addition to rice pancakes, rice flour is used to make another loved Tanzanian dessert, mkate wa kumimina.
As the name suggests, this mkate wa kumimina (kumimina meaning to pour) is made from a rice batter. The whole rice is soaked overnight, fermented with yeast, and mixed with other ingredients, including spices. It is then added to a blender to create the batter before baking.
Final Thoughts
Tanzania is a treasure trove of delicious sweet and savory snacks, no matter the region you are in. With such a wide snack variety, sampling the country’s culinary treasures is never a boring quest. Remember, these are just the popular selections. You will discover an even larger selection of snacks on the ground as you explore Tanzania.
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Related: 10 Desserts & Sweet Treats To Try in Tanzania & Zanzibar
Related: 15 Popular Fruits Grown in Tanzania
The post Top 22 Popular Snacks in Tanzania (Sweet and Savory) appeared first on Chef's Pencil.
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