Food Habits of Tanzania

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Staple crops

Millet bran and corn bran lowers plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolemic subjects

Reprinted from Gooneratne, J., L. Munasinghe, et al. (2005). Millet bran and corn bran lowers plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels in hypercholesterimic subjects. 18th International Congress of Nutrition, Durban, South Africa, S. Karger, Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, Copyright 2005, with permission from Gooneratne, J., L. Munasinghe

PDF: Millet bran and corn bran lowers plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels

Tanzania's staple foods of the past

This article provides interesting insight into the food patterns and nutrient intakes of East Africa's past and highlights the major influencing factors which brought about the changes.

PDF: Comparison of nutrient intakes in East Africa

Reprinted from Oltersdorf, U. (1971). Comparison of Nutrient Intakes in East Africa. Proceedings of a conference held in Blantyre, Malawi, International Biological Programme, 7 Marylebone road, London, NW1, England, copyright 1971, with permission from Oltersdorf U.

TANZANIA FOOD CROP ZONES OF THE PAST- MAP

Staple crops of the past

District	Ulanga	North Tanzania	Mwanza	Bukoba	Kilosa	Tabora region	Usambara
Division&Ethnic group	Kiberege	Hadza people	Sukuma people	Bahaya people		Uyu
Date of survey	1939	1962	1956	1954	1969	1967	1966-1967
Staple foods	Rice Fish	Meat Yams	Millet (red, white, bull rush)	Plantain (cooking banana)	Maize Sorghum	Cassava Maize ("Sembe") refined maize flour	Maize
Main supplementary foods	Maize Cassava Sweet potatoes Bananas	Wild fruits, berries raw seeds maize meal (introduced)	Meat & fish (irregular but constant part of diet) Maize (corn on cob as a snack, maize flour used in times of food shortages) Legumes (between meal snack) Sweet potatoes	Cassava (also leaves) Sweet potatoes Groundnuts, Bambara Groundnuts, Bambara Yam Maize cobs wild mushrooms Sorghum for beer Green leafy vegetables		Sorghum Wheat Plantains Legumes Vegetables	Cassava Legumes Wild spinach in Bumbuli Mulungui Soni Upare Maranzara
Other foods			Rice (sign of affluence to eat it) Cassava (grown under government order)	Introduced, european vegetables (beetroot, carrots, onions)		Dried cow meat	Fish in Chakichani Milk, animal protein in Leguruki
Meal	Boiled rice or porridge (made out maize, cassava, eleusine, occassionally from millet) with a relish of fish or meat, and "wild" green vegetables, if gathered	Food, is mostly barbecued only older women have cooking pots to boil meat	Main dish: Stiff millet porridge with meat, fish or vegtable relish, all the food was boiled		Staples consumed in form of "ugali" in allmost all meals	2 meals a day main food is ugali made from cassava, maize or sorghum flour with side dish prepared from leaves or legumes
Agricultural form	Fishing and cultivation	Hunting, gathering	Pastoral agriculturists			Cattle raising combined with cattle raising in Leguruki
Main cash crops			Cotton Maize Rice	Robusta Coffee

References: Culwick, A. T. and G. M. Culwick (1939). "A study of factors governing the food supply in Ulanga, Tanganyika Territory." East African Medical Journal 16: 43-61.
Jelliffe, D. B., J. Woodburn, et al. (1962). "The children of the Hadza hunters." Tropical paediatrics 60(6): 907-913.
Tanner, R. E. S. (1956). "A preliminary enquiry into Sukuma diet in the lake province, Tanganyika territory." East African Medical Journal 33(8): 305-324.
Laurie, W. M., W. Brass, et al. (1951). East African Medical survey annual report No. 2, East African High Commission.
Food science unit, I. (1969). Report of a dietary survey in Kilosa district. Tanzania nutrition unit committee report series.
Tanzania National Nutrition Unit (1967). Report of a dietary survey in Tabora region. Tanzania, The Tanzania National Nutrition Unit: 1-11.
Popleau, W., C. Schlage, et al. (1969). Nutrition and health in Usambara. München, Weltforum Verlag, München.

Tanzania's past & current staple foods

PAST - Kilimanjaro area

• Cooked banana, maize and beans were the main staple foods. These foods were considered as "foods for the poor".
  
• Bananas (Yum) were dried in an unripe stage or after they have ripened which made it possible to store them for a lengthy period of time and accessible during adverse times
  
• Maize (corn), processed, the kernels were dried and grinded or in an unprocessed form.
  
• Sweet potatoes
  
• Yams
  
• Cow's blood was used raw or cooked and was a must for women who gave birth to replenish the lost blood. It also strengthened their bodies so that women were able to continue work in the house and on the fields again straight after they gave birth. Today, it is still practiced in some areas of Tanzania.
  
• Beef, it was used for trade. Women travelled to Masailand, mostly Arusha and beyond and exchanged dried bananas with dried beef. The dried beef was then hung up and stored above the kitchen stove and kept for dry seasons or periods of famine.
  
• "Free ranged chicken" was very popular. When a visitor came a child was asked to run after one and catch it to afterwards slaughter it for the meal. It is still widely practiced.

Current - Kilimanjaro area

• Cooked banana, maize and beans
  
• Maize (corn) processed, where the kernels were dried and grinded or in an unprocessed form.
  
• Sweet potatoes
• Yams
  
• Cow's blood is used in some areas raw or cooked and is a must for women who give birth to replenish the lost blood. It also strengthens their bodies so that women are able to continue work in the house and on the fields again straight after they gave birth.
  
• Beef, mostly dried
  
• "Free ranged chicken"

  Today's main dishes
  

  Staple food: cooked banana, yam, sweet potatoes, maize with chicken and sometimes vegetables

Vegetable

Mchicha, green leafy vegetable

"Nowadays there are a lot of pathways of getting food. Speaking of people living in rural settings, the major source of food is by self production in small farms which includes more or less foods which were consumed in the past with a slight modification."

"It is a matter of fact that people living in urban areas and large consume a very western diet. This diet pattern includes deep frying, a lot of "fast food" and junk food with the most common including chips, ice creams and cakes. "

"The only difference to the western diet is the lower prevalence of main courses which are three to four throughout the industrial countries and far lower in Tanzania. A transition in the diet pattern is also reflected through the introduction of desserts and a high increase in the use of oil for cooking. The most common oils are cauliflower, peanut oil, blended oil or relatively cheap imported oil." (Dr. Lillian Mwanri 2005)

Source: Interview with Dr. Lillian Mwanri 2005
Communicable Disease Control Branch
Public Health & Clinical Coordination
Department of Health,, Australia
http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/pehs

Which food were consumed in the Kilimanjaro area 1968

This survey on nutrition and diet carried out from the 5th until the 17th of August 1968 provides information on:

• Food crops and their preservation
  

PDF: Nutrition survey_Kilimanjaro area_1968

Analysis of some important foodstuffs of Usambara 1966-1967

Chemical analysis on:

• Maize grain, whole meal
  
• Home processed flour
  
• Commercial maize flour
  
• Maize, once pounded
  
• Rice, dehusked, not polished
• Mandazi
  
• Fresh cassava tubers, peeled
  
• Dried cassava tubers, cleaned
  
• Comparison of nutrient contents referred to dry matter
  
• Fresh bananas for cooking
  
• Dried bananas
  
• Comparison of nutrient contents referred to dry matter
  
• Sweet potatoes
  
• Bean seeds
  
• Fruit bananas, different species
  
• Smoked fish
  
• Comparison of fresh water fish with smoked fish
• Nutrient content of some foods commonly used in North-eastern Tanzania
  

PDF: Nutrition and health in Usambara

Food crops of Ukara island, Lake Viktoria (1951)

PDF: Food crops on Ukara island_1951

Locally grown grains of the Haya

Read more about the locally grown cereals which were available on Bukoba markets, what their local names and their prices were. What were they used for?

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

Which were the main cereals in the Tabora region in 1967?

Read more about the food habits of the Tabora region in the following article and obtain information and data on:

• Food consumed during:
  1. work
  2. school
  3. travelling
  4. illness
  5. pregnancy and lactation
  
• Food taboos
  
• Child feeding practices
  
• Food storage and processing
  
• Agriculture
  
• Facilities in the house
  
• Staple foods and their use
  
• Food groups and their contribution to nutrient intake
• Calorie and nutrient requirments, intakes and sources
  

PDF: Report of a dietary survey in Tabora region_1967

Where did Usambara people derive their calories from?

The staple cereal of the Usambara area was maize which provided 40% of the intake of calories and proteins. The importance of maize was much smaller in the coastal area, where the protein poor cassava provided most of the calories. The main protein source in Chakichani near the coast was derived from fish. Only ten miles inland in Maranzara the main protein sources came from beans. The survey reflected that apart from the coastal area the portion of animal protein was highest in Leguruki through the combination of cattle rising with agriculture and the regular milk consumption. Among the areas where the intake of animal protein was low, the main sources of protein were derived from legumes, cassava and wild spinach.

Read more about the diet and their contribution to nutrient intake and health status in the following article and explore data on:

• Amounts of the most important foodstuffs in the total consumption of calories and nutrients in the different survey areas
  
• Average coverage of requirement of the various nutrients and calories in the survey areas
  
• Covering of the nutrient requirements in percent age groups
  

PDF: Nutrition and health in Usambara

The nutrition situation in the Pangani Basin 1966-1967

This article provides you with information and data on where the calories in the Pangani Basin were derived from:

• Food pattern:
  1. Prevalence of meal per area
  2. Analysis of breakfasts, suppers and main dishes
  3. Glossary of common foods and dishes
  

PDF: The nutrition situation in the Pangani Basin. Investigations into health and nutrition in East Africa

The Shambala system of cropping (Usambara)

This article provides information and data on:

• "Utilisation of the land
  1. Maize: the annual crop
  2. Cropping (Crops grown in Usambara and surroundings with their autochthonous names in Kisuaheli and Kisambaa)
  3. Irrigation farming (vegetable cultivation)
  
• Animal husbandry
• Labour economy
  

PDF: The Shambala system of agriculture, (Usambara)

 

Created by Verena Raschke 2005 / Contact