Zanzibar Food Guide — What to Eat on the Spice Island

Not a pizza in the Italian sense at all — this beloved street food is a thin dough parcel stuffed with minced meat, egg, onion, cheese and chilli, folded and fried on a flat griddle until crispy and golden. The fillings vary from savoury to sweet (Nutella and banana versions exist). Forodhani Gardens night market is ground zero for this iconic snack.

Zanzibar’s signature tangy yellow soup is a meal in a bowl. The base is a turmeric-spiced broth thickened with mashed potato, topped with bhajia (crispy lentil fritters), boiled egg, shredded mango, coconut chutney, chilli sauce and a squeeze of lime. The combination of textures and flavours is extraordinary and entirely unique to the island.

Fragrant spiced rice cooked with whole spices — cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and cloves — typically served with slow-cooked beef or chicken. Pilau is the centrepiece of celebratory meals and Friday lunches across Zanzibar. Every family has their own recipe passed down through generations, and the best versions achieve a perfect balance of aromatic warmth without overpowering heat.

Introduced through centuries of Indian Ocean trade, Zanzibar’s biryani is richly layered rice with tender marinated meat, fried onions, boiled eggs and a blend of local spices. Heavier and more festive than pilau, it is a staple at weddings and special occasions. The Zanzibari version tends to be less fiery than its South Asian cousins, letting the spice aromatics shine through.

Freshly caught octopus simmered in a rich coconut milk sauce with garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli. The octopus is typically tenderised by the fishermen on the rocks at the shore before sale, resulting in a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Served with rice or chapati, this dish showcases Zanzibar’s seafood abundance and Indian-Swahili fusion cooking.

Kingfish is one of the most popular catches around the island, and grilling it over charcoal with a simple marinade of lime, garlic and chilli is the local method of choice. Served whole or in thick steaks alongside coconut rice and a fresh kachumbari salad (diced tomato, onion and coriander), it is Zanzibar’s quintessential beach meal.

Zanzibar’s version of meat skewers — chunks of marinated beef, chicken or goat threaded onto wooden sticks and grilled over glowing charcoal. The marinade typically includes yoghurt, cumin, chilli and lime juice. Served with a tangy tamarind dipping sauce and fresh chapati, mishkaki are the perfect sundowner snack at any beachside barbecue.

These lightly sweetened, cardamom-scented fried dough triangles are Zanzibar’s breakfast staple. Somewhere between a doughnut and a beignet, mandazi are eaten with spiced tea (chai ya tangawizi) in the morning and make a satisfying mid-afternoon snack. They are sold fresh from every bakery and street stall across the island.

A hearty and nourishing soup made from red kidney beans or black-eyed peas slow-cooked in creamy coconut milk with garlic, onion and a pinch of turmeric. This is genuine home cooking — simple, satisfying and deeply comforting. Often served as a starter or light lunch alongside freshly baked bread.

Zanzibar’s volcanic soil and tropical climate produce an astonishing variety of fruit. Hotel breakfast buffets and market stalls overflow with sweet pineapple, papaya, mango, passion fruit, watermelon, jackfruit, soursop, rambutan and coconut. A freshly cut fruit platter is the island’s healthiest indulgence and the perfect antidote to the midday heat.