During our first couple of weeks in East Africa while we were in Arusha we enjoyed a wide variety of international food that is available as a result of a large ex-pat community living there. We had excellent Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Mexican. Our first food adventure was with the goat BBQ and followed by the delicious Chicken-on-the-Bonnet car parts/BBQ restaurant.

Goat BBQ

When we moved on to Lushoto and the Usambara mountains, we were introduced to the delicious African Chapatis (see Said’s recipe below). These are eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Said served them at lunch wrapped around fresh vegetables and bananas. We also had them in the morning served warm and dipped in unrefined sugar.

Said's Chapatis

The Tanzanian coast offers a large selection of seafood and the dishes are heavily influenced by Indian cuisine. Various curries and masalas containing fresh coconut milk and seafood are common. The most delicious of these was Hassan’s octopus masala, which I think was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. These dishes are served with either rice or chapatis. And the seafood BBQ in Stone Town was like nothing we have ever seen.

Stone Town BBQ

On the Kenyan coast we had quite a bit of Italian-type food, especially pasta and pizza. BBQ’d meat is a common road-side food. Anyone can start a fire and start grilling some meat to sell. This is also where we tried for the first (and last) time ugali which is a dish made out of ground maize. It has the consistency of thick paste and is truly a disgusting food, no matter how much chili sauce you put on it. However for some reason the locals love it and it is on almost every menu.

In Nairobi the cheapest and most common meal is rotisserie chicken and chips. This gets boring very quickly. As a former British colony, Kenyans use tomato sauce as opposed to ketchup on their fries. Kevin carries to all meals a bottle of Heinz that he bought at the grocery store. We both have foods that we miss. Kevin craves a turkey dinner. As for me, I could really go for a box of donuts and a Starbucks latte. But we’re both looking forward to the food in India.

Said’s Chapati Recipe

Ingredients:
· water
· wheat flour
· salt
· vegetable oil

Directions:
Warm water. Add flour. Add salt. Mix by hand to form dough. Heat plenty of oil in pan. Roll out small balls of dough until size and thickness resemble a tortilla. Fry. Turn to cook both sides. Add more oil if necessary.