Food of Tanzania
Tanzanian food is shaped by mainland ugali and beans, Zanzibar's spice islands and coastal Swahili kitchens that use coconut, cardamom and cloves. Grilled meat, pilau and fish curries feature at gatherings, while street vendors sell chips mayai and fresh juices. Cooks often serve tea alongside every meal.
Ugali with nyama choma
- Main dishes (9)
- Breakfast (4)
- Street food (4)
- Soups (1)
- Salads (1)
- Desserts and sweets (3)
- Drinks (3)
- Fruits and produce (5)
Staples
- maize
- rice
- beans
- cassava
- fish
- bananas
- coconut
Signature flavors
- cloves
- cardamom
- cinnamon
- coconut
- tamarind
- pepper
- ginger
Main dishes
A traditional dish of Tanzania made with maize flour, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: maize flourFull guide →
A traditional dish of Tanzania made with goat, salt, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: goat, saltFull guide →
A traditional dish of Tanzania made with rice, beef, cloves, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: rice, beef, clovesA traditional dish of Tanzania made with fish, coconut, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: fish, coconutA traditional dish of Tanzania made with rice, coconut, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: rice, coconutA traditional dish of Tanzania made with rice, meat, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: rice, meat
Banana and beef soup from Kilimanjaro.
Key ingredients: banana, beefA traditional dish of Tanzania made with banana, beef, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: banana, beefA traditional dish of Tanzania made with beans, coconut, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: beans, coconutBreakfast
A traditional breakfast dish of Tanzania made with flour, coconut, cardamom, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, coconut, cardamomFull guide →
A traditional breakfast dish of Tanzania made with flour, oil, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, oil
A traditional breakfast dish of Tanzania made with millet, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: milletA traditional breakfast dish of Tanzania made with rice, coconut, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: rice, coconutStreet food
A traditional street snack of Tanzania made with potato, egg, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: potato, eggA traditional street snack of Tanzania made with dough, meat, egg, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: dough, meat, eggA traditional street snack of Tanzania made with beef, spices, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: beef, spicesA traditional street snack of Tanzania made with potato, chutney, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: potato, chutneySoups
A traditional soup of Tanzania made with plantain, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: plantainSalads
A traditional salad of Tanzania made with tomato, onion, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: tomato, onionDesserts and sweets
A traditional sweet treat of Tanzania made with coconut, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: coconut, sugar
A traditional sweet treat of Tanzania made with sugar, cardamom, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: sugar, cardamom
A traditional sweet treat of Tanzania made with flour, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, sugarDrinks
Spiced tea with ginger and cardamom.
Key ingredients: tea, milk, gingerA traditional drink of Tanzania made with sugarcane, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: sugarcaneA traditional drink of Tanzania made with coffee, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: coffeeFruits and produce
Mango is a well-loved fruit or crop in Tanzania, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: mangoFull guide →
Jackfruit is a well-loved fruit or crop in Tanzania, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: jackfruitFull guide →
Pineapple is a well-loved fruit or crop in Tanzania, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: pineappleFull guide →
Coconut is a well-loved fruit or crop in Tanzania, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: coconutFull guide →
Banana is a well-loved fruit or crop in Tanzania, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: bananaFull guide →Dish guides from Tanzania
More cuisines of Eastern Africa
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mozambique
- Réunion
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Ugali & Sukuma Wiki: Paresh Jai from Nairobi, Kenya, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Goat meat being roasted: Samuel Kiongo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Afghan Palo: Jost Wagner, CC BY-SA 1.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mtori: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Bowl of mandazi: The original uploader was ChildofMidnight at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- 2 Chapati warm and ready to be eaten: KittyKaht from Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Byodoin Phoenix Hall Uji 2009: 663highland, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Kachumbari: Charles Haynes, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Orient sweets (special halva) Samarkand, Siyab: Shuhrenataxmedov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- HK SYP 西營盤 Sai Ying Pun Kwan Yick Building 名星海鮮酒家 Star Seafood Restaurant food 吞麵 Wonton dim sum October 2020 SS2 01: Honmustak Chooica, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- The jackfruit is holding on to the tree: This work was made by Tushar Hossain and released under the license(s) stated below. Please feel free to use it for any, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cocos nucifera - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-187: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
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