SWAHILI FOOD
M
ombasa Old Town is where the Swahili gastronomy stews. Dating back to the 18th century, the 72 hectare Old Town has a history that combines African, Arabic and European influences. here, Arabs, Asians, Portuguese and British have co-existed for many years, exchanging customs and borrowing ideas from each other to form a unique coastal culture.
© Desiree Koh
The architecture is from a different time. It features old, ruin-like buildings with heavy wooden doors, large windows and narrow corridors. Often, the howling sound of the muezzin can be heard, calling the faithful to prayer. It’s a scene of picturepostcard beauty.
For those who prefer seafood, there is Swahili prawns with rice. The prawns are seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper with lime juice and coriander stirred in. Lemon wedges are always on standby for those who might want to drench the prawns. Most meals incorporate locally available vegetables such as eggplant, okra and spinach and spices like cloves, cardamom and hot pepper. Fish is naturally central to their diet because of the proximity of the ocean. Chicken and goat meat are also served, mainly in the holiday seasons.
OCTOPUS For those with a sense of culinary adventure who might find themselves in Watamu, it is well worth visiting the Swahili village, where small makutithatched eateries serve fresh baby octopus, locally known as ngisi. Behind a makeshift house, the octopus is chopped into small pieces and deep fried until it is crisp and golden brown. It is served with vegetables or chapatti (na’an). This meal is best enjoyed while seated on wooden stools under a palm tree. You may be interested to learn that, according to folklore, octopus meat is an aphrodisiac for men and that, during the hot season,
SOUTH COAST
men are forbidden from eating this meal. Thankfully, this rule does not apply to visitors. Almost all Swahili meals are served with Kachumbari, the coleslaw of East Africa, which is a mixture of shredded vegetables prepared ahead of time and often served cold. It consists of onions and tomatoes in a vinegar or lemon juice dressing. It is not uncommon for cabbages, chile peppers and other vegetables to be included in this mix. Given the communal culture of the Swahili, meals are usually eaten in groups. Families sit together in a small circle and the food is laid out in gigantic trays. The men, women and children sit cross-legged on mats and dig in with their bare hands. Alcohol, however, is never on the menu.
almost all swahili meals are served with kachumbari, the coleslaw of east africa
What the travel brochures may not tell you is that the most authentic coastal culinary experience is to be found in Mombasa Old Town.
INFLUENCES
Koh siree © De
The food of the Swahili – a coastal people who historically could be found as far north as Mogadishu in Somalia and as far south as the Rovuma River in Mozambique – is heavily influenced by Middle East and Indian cuisine, with lots of spices and herbs. In particular, they experiment with rice, their staple food. There is pilau, a mixture of rice cooked with beef, mutton or another meat. It is fried with garlic cloves, cardamom pods, whole black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin seed powder and onions. All Swahili rice is prepared with coconut milk.
SWAHILI COAST MAGAZINE // ISSUE 02
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