Spice is an essential ingredient of Zanzibarian culture; therefore, a visit to Zanzibar is incomplete without a (half-day) spice tour. With the abolition of the slave trade, spices became a source of income for Zanzibar and it remains so, with the island being the biggest exporter of cloves.
Our guide and spice farmer, Mr Abeid, who inherited the spice farm from his late father, took us on a fragrant and delightful journey of exploration along his show farm, which is around 800 acres; he has his larger farm nearby. Mr Abid was very informative, charmingly engaging, and entertaining with the help of his assistant ”Maria”.
I love my spices and was still pleasantly surprised by how they were grown, how they were used, and their benefits in cooking and general health.
We started with the Annato plant, a natural orange-red colouring that comes from the seeds and is used in food, lipstick and the vermillion that Hindus use on their forehead (modelled by ‘Maria’).
Did you know that cloves grow on trees and need to be dried for five days in the sun to be black? Same with peppercorns; they grow on trees. Also, interestingly, the island has cocoa trees, but they import their chocolate and make cocoa powder for hot chocolate. However they export Zanzibar coffee to Arab countries, it’s a strong flavour.
We had Ylang Ylang flowers crushed into our hands and used many well-known perfumes like Channel No. 5. They have a small stall selling some of their produce, which is a must-see, including Ylangi Ylangi oil.
There is one fruit you will love or loathe like marmite – the Durian, aka the stinking fruit. You might not want to be near one should it drop to the floor!
Lunch was provided, cooked by local women…this was the best food I’d tasted at the time of writing. You need to go and experience it for yourself. We asked for a recipe (measurements all to taste!)
Pilau rice
In a pan, fry a bit of cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, and cardamom, then add crushed garlic and sliced onions – cook until brown.
Transfer this to a pressure cooker and add washed rice and quartered potatoes with water to cover the rice. This should take up to 30 minutes. You could leave it in the original pan, cook it on the hob, or put it in a Moroccan tagine clay dish to cook in the oven.
Serve rice with Kingfish dry cooked in a mix of spices. We had side dishes of mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk and a pinch of turmeric. Also, a spicy tomato sauce cooked in coconut oil plus cassava leaves mixed with coconut milk is used to make a spinach dish. Delicious. We were served water and lemon grass tea to accompany our meal.
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