The original inhabitants of Zanzibar were presumably African fishermen who lived in villages scattered throughout the island. They subsisted on a diet of mainly fresh seafood, including tuna, kingfish, lobster, octopus, squid, and oysters. This diet changed radically during the ninth and tenth centuries with the arrival of the Arab and Persian traders who came to trade in East Africa, built settlements, and intermarried with the local people. As they integrated themselves into the African societies, they introduced their religion, Islam, as well as cooking techniques and eating habits, bringing with them coconut palms, mango trees, citrus fruits, and rice. Spiced pilau rice, one of the island's most common and delicious dishes cooked with coconut, nuts, and spices, is of Arab origin.

The fifteenth century brought the first Portuguese explorers to East Africa. Vasco Da Gama arrived in Zanzibar in 1499 as he was headed south to round the Cape of Good Hope. Although he only stayed one day, other ships soon followed and by early in the 16th century the Portuguese ruled the entire East African coast. They ruled in Zanzibar until 1651 when Omani Arabs destroyed the Portuguese settlements and gained control of the island.

The Omanis ruled Zanzibar from their capital in Muscat until the early 1800's when the Sultan, Said Seyyid, visited the island while on a trip to mainland Africa. He was so taken with its beauty he decided to move to Zanzibar, taking with him not only his personal items, but relocating the entire capital of his dynasty to the island as well. Seyyd's decision to move the capital radically changed Zanzibar, as he was responsible for the genesis of the island's spice plantations and led the island into a century of great wealth. It was during this period that the majority of the Stonetown of Zanzibar was built, as well as many palaces, grand houses, and mosques.

Behind much of the great wealth were a number of prosperous Indian merchants. Trade between Zanzibar and India had been going on for centuries, and by the 1800's businessmen from India had a mercantile strong-hold on the island and were also the money-lenders for many of the Arab plantation owners. They came from many different regions of India and were from a variety of backgrounds, including Hindus, Muslims, and Catholics. They built their own temples, mosques, and churches, and added more layers to the cultural diversity on the island. The Indian men did not tend to intermarry with other cultures, but instead brought their families with them from India. Their wives brought with them a long legacy of Indian cooking techniques. Their traditional recipes combined with locally available ingredients has created a variety of spicy pickles, chutneys, biriyani, curry sauces, fish cakes, samboosas, and other common Indian snacks, but all with a unique Zanzibari flavor.

Cloves were not the only item traded on the islands, as Zanzibar was the site of one of the largest slave markets in Africa. The slaves, sold to Arab plantation owners for use on the islands and in the Middle East, as well as to Europeans, were captured from the mainland from as far west as what is now present day Zaire. The British abolitionist movement finally pressured the Omani government to outlaw slavery by the turn of the twentieth century, but due to the years of slavery, a large number of mainland Africans inhabit the island. Their diets still consist of items that they ate on the mainland, including fried cassava chips, stewed greens, sweet potatoes, yams, and roasted maize.

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, other cultures have also played a role in Zanzibar's history. Americans were the first to set up a consulate in the early 1800's, and were soon followed by the British, French, and Germans. Many explorers, including Livingstone, Burton, Speke, and Krapf, began their journeys into the heart of Africa from the shores of Zanzibar. These explorers lead to the eventual German and British colonization of East Africa and paved the way for an influx of settlers. While the British did not necessarily make a contribution to Zanzibari cuisine (unless you consider leathery pepper-steak and greasy chips a contribution), they did import china from England, Holland, and Japan. Large, flat serving bowls, decorated with bright colored flowers and geometric designs from the 1920's are still commonly found throughout the Stonetown and used in many of the local homes to serve piles of steaming rice dishes.

After independence in the 1960's, the Chinese were brought to the island to serve as technicians, doctors, military advisers, and agricultural experts. While only a handful still remain, it is possible to buy soy sauce on the island and enjoy dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.

DIRECTIONS
Rinse peas. Place in a bowl and cover with enough water to allow the peas to double in size. Soak overnight.
Peel onion and cut into quarters. Drain peas. Place in a food processor together with the onion pieces and puree. Stir in spices and baking powder.
Heat at least two inches oil in a large skillet or wok. Drop batter in by the teaspoon full. Fry, turning once, until golden brown.* Drain on paper towel. Serve either hot or room temperature with COCONUT CHUTNEY or in FISH AND COCONUT SOUP.
*If your bajias are brown on the outside but too soft and dough-like on the inside, your oil is too hot. Lower the heat so that the bajias take about a minute on each side to brown. This will allow enough time for the centers to cook properly.

DIRECTIONS
Mash the potatoes and add salt to taste. In a small bowl combine the flour and spices. Add lemon juice and enough water to form a thin batter.

  Heat at least two inched of oil in a large skillet or wok. Shape the mashed potatoes into small balls. Dip each ball into the batter and carefully drop into the oil. Cook until they are beginning to brown, but they should not be cooked until crispy. Drain on paper towel as serve in the same manner as BAJIAS.

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in soup kettle. Sauté onions until they begin to soften (do not brown). Add ginger, garlic, and spices (except for the lemon grass) and cook until onions are soft. Add broth, coconut cream, and lemon grass stalks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by one third, approximately thirty minutes.

  Meanwhile, mash enough of the potatoes to equal one cup of mashed potatoes. The remaining potatoes should be cut into one inch cubes. Add the mashed potatoes to broth and stir well. This will thicken the broth.

  Ten to fifteen members before serving, add fish to the HOT broth. As fish is cooking, set out bowls. In each bowl place potato chunks and cooked shrimp. When fish is cooked, ladle hot soup into bowls. Top with coconut chutney and serve with Thai chili paste (I don't put the chili paste directly on the soup, not wanting to cause guests unwitting chili-induced hiccups or sweats).

  If using chicken, brown chicken strips in oil before adding to soup. If using cooked beans, add them just before serving.

  *available at oriental markets  

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.

DIRECTIONS
Dip the fillets in the batter and then press into the coconut to completely cover the fish. Fry in 2 inches of oil to brown the coconut, turning once. Serve with MANGO SALSA, PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY or any other tropical fruit sauce.

DIRECTIONS
Clean and boil potatoes in salted water until tender.

  Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook onions, garlic, ginger turmeric, chili pepper and coriander until onions are soft. Add coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Continue cooking to reduce sauce in half. Add potatoes and cook until they are thoroughly heated.

  If you would like a thicker sauce, puree or mash one or two of the potatoes and wisk into the hot sauce before adding the whole potatoes.

  *I add more ginger and red pepper than most Zanzibaris because I like the flavor. If you want true authenticity, use less of both.

DIRECTIONS
Pour boiling water over the dates and baking soda. Let cool. Cream sugar,
butter, and eggs. Sift salt with flour and mix into butter mixture. Add
vanilla, nuts, and the date mixture. Bake in a loaf pan in a moderate oven
for approximately 45 minutes until golden and top springs back when touched.

DIRECTIONS
Place meat in a sauce pan and cover with water. Boil until the meat is cooked
through and remove from heat. Cool and reserve the water. Once the meat is cool enough to handle, cut it into half inch squares.

Place cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and chilies in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind together. Add tamarind and enough vinegar to form a paste.

Fry the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large saucepan. When the onions are
soft, stir in the spice paste. Continue cooking until the onions and spices
are well combined. Add the meat and the remaining vinegar and simmer for at
least one hour.

DIRECTIONS
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. The dough will be soft.
Cover the tart by dotting the top with small pieces of the mixture. Bake
until it begins to brown.

This cake uses a bit of them all and leaves guests with a flavor of the island.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 CUP BUTTER
1 1/2 CUPS SUGAR
4 EGGS, SEPARATED
3 CUPS FLOUR
1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
1 TEASPOON GROUND CLOVES
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON NUTMEG
1 CUP MILK
2/3 CUP GRATED SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE

DIRECTIONS
Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolks. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix with the butter mixture alternately with the milk. Add the chocolate. beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the batter. Bake in a tube pan.

Serve with VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM and CHOCOLATE KALUAH SAUCE.



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DIRECTIONS
Mix the flour, spices and salt together in a medium size bowl. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture into a medium sized paper or plastic bag. To the remaining flour, add the water and egg and beat until smooth.

Heat one to two inches of oil in a large skillet or frying pan (preferably non-stick). Place two or three of the fillets into the bag with the flour, hold the open end closed and gently shake to coat. Remove from bag, gently shaking off excess flour. Dip into the batter and fry in hot oil, turning once, until golden brown. Repeat process until all fillets are finished. Do not crowd fish into pan when frying. Serve immediately with your choice of fruit chutney or salsa.

The restaurant and bar area, like the bandas, are built in the same traditional manner the villagers use to build their own homes. They utilize locally available materials, coral rag, lime, mangrove poles and thatched roofing. The restaurant menu also reflects the environment, emphasizing fresh seafood. The joy of going to Matemwe for the weekend is sitting at a table, eating copious amounts of wonderful food, and watching the boats sail past, the young boys carrying strings of fish to the village market. The biggest decisions you have to make when at Matemwe are whether you want to go fishing or diving, whether or not you want to swim or just lie on the beach, and whether your next nap should be on the harem pillows at the end of the bar or on the lounge chairs on your private banda patio. Basically, paradise. The following recipe is a bit difficult to duplicate outside of Zanzibar, but I included it to give people incentive to plan their next vacation in Zanzibar.



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DIRECTIONS
Place wine in the bucket with the ice. Wrap up the limes, knife, hammer and chisel in the towel or kikoy. Grab a couple of friends and take the bucketand towel down to the lower beach north of Matemwe Bungalows. Along the way find the piece of driftwood, preferably with a flat surface. Once at the beach, spread out the towel in a sunny spot. Have one of your friends use the knife to quarter the limes and place decoratively on the driftwood. Meanwhile, take the hammer and chisel and carefully carve oysters off of the rocks. Split them open, rinse any sand off in the ocean, and place them alongside the limes on the driftwood. Once you have enough to fill the driftwood, dot the oysters with chili sauce, top with a squeeze of lime juice.

Gather your party onto the towel, dig your toes into the sand, and eat!!! Wash the oysters down with the white wine (drunk directly from the bottle). When finished, toss the driftwood back in the water (no dishes to clean) and have a quick swim to wash away any stray chili sauce. Can you think of a better way to spend the afternoon?

DIRECTIONS
Measure 1 1/2 cups of the whole wheat and put in a large saucepan. Add 3 cups
water and one teaspoon of salt. Cover, place on high heat, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until wheat is soft, adding water as necessary (wheat should always be covered with water and should not dry out as when cooking rice).

At the same time, place meat in a medium saucepan. Add ginger, which has been cut into chunks, cumin, whole chili pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Add enough water to cover meat, cover sauce pan, and place over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until meat is soft and tender, again adding water as necessary.

Place 1/2 of the remaining wheat in a food mill or spice grinder. Grind until wheat is broken, but not powdered. Add to the wheat which is now soft, adding enough water to make a soft, oatmeal type mixture. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat. While it is cooking, grind the remaining wheat until it is flour. Add this to the wheat mixture, adding enough water to keep the soft, oatmeal texture. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Add meat mixture, including remaining liquid. Stir together and cook until the mixture is thick, but not dry.

Finished Boku-Boku is a bit pasty and sticky, and is eaten with your hands. Serve it on a big platter topped with onions that have been fried until crispy. Some people eat Boku-Boku with a salad made of sliced onions, tomatoes, and turnip greens. Others eat Boku-Boku topped with sugar (yes, SUGAR -- try it, you might be pleasantly surprised!).