Food Habits of Tanzania

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Spices

The table below gives a short insight into some spices which were used in Tanzania's past.. It can be seen that with the exception of salt hardly any spices were used to flavour the food. Indigenous or traditional* plants, vegetables and fruits were used to add flavour to the meal.

*traditional vegetables can be indigenous or introduced species which became part of the culture and community due to their long use. (Source: The status of traditional vegetable utilization in Kenya by Patrick M. Maundu, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya)

Local name	English name	Scientific name	Use	Region	Tribe	Year	Source/ PDF Article
Binzari	Curry powder		flavouring food	Tabora		1967	PDF Report of a dietary survey in Tabora region_1967
	Chillies	Capsicum annumm Linn.		Bukoba distrct	Bahaya	1954	PDF East African Medical survey Monograph No. 2 1954
	Salt		falvouring food before the arrival of Germans in 1896 potassium salt was made from ahes and filtered through small earthen bowl with 5 holes in bottom	Ukara Island, Lake Viktoria		1951	PDF East African Medical survey, annual report No.3 1951
Pilipili	Chillies		for Mboga relish introduced from mainland	Ukara Island, Lake Viktoria		1951	PDF East African Medical survey, annual report 1951
	Salt			North west Tanganyika	Sukuma	1965

Origin of SPICES

West Africa	Southwest Asia (via Egypt)	Southeast Asia	South America
Peppers Roselle African nutmeg Locust bean	Garlic	Ginger	Red pepper

Source: Foods of West Africa: Their origins and use by Ifeyironwa Francisca Smith

© Francisca Smith

How did the Haya in Bukoba seasoned their meals?

PDF: East African medical survey, Monograph No. 2_1954

Which tribes in Tanzania used salt to season their meals in the past?

PDF: Tribes of Tanganyika_1935

Created by Verena Raschke 2005 / Contact