Food

Zanzibar’s Influence: How Indian Spices Changed Tanzanian Cuisine Forever

Tanzania’s food is full of flavour—from fragrant pilau and spicy curries to samosas and sweet halwa. While local ingredients like cassava, seafood, plantains, and millet remain vital, the scents, colours, and spices used today trace their roots back to centuries of Indian influence—especially via Zanzibar, the “Spice Island.” Let’s dive into how those spices traveled from India to Tanzania and shaped the dishes we enjoy today.

 

1. Zanzibar: Where Spices Became History

Long before European ships arrived, Zanzibar was already famous. Persian and Omani traders arrived along the Swahili Coast, bringing Islam and exotic ingredients—spices like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. As plantations spread across Zanzibar and Pemba islands—especially under Omani Sultan Sayyid Said—cloves became the island’s top export. By the 19th century, Zanzibar was the world’s largest clove producer, attracting traders from India who settled in Stone Town and mainland ports. 

These Indian settlers brought not only spices, but also recipes—like biryani, samosas, curry sauces, and chutneys— which soon mingled with Swahili and Bantu culinary traditions to create something new (and delicious).

2. From Island Spices to Mainland Plates

As trade deepened, those spices didn’t stay on Zanzibar—they traveled inland. Traders and immigrants brought Indian spices and cooking methods to coastal towns like Dar es Salaam and Tanga. Over time, local families adopted these tastes, mixing them into traditional dishes like ugali, fish stew, and sweet rice.

In this way, pilau rice—a fragrant dish of coconut milk, cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon—became a symbol of Swahili hospitality and celebration across Tanzania Meanwhile, dishes like Kuku Paka (coconut chicken curry) and samaki wa kupaka (coconut fish) show clear Indian and Arab roots, adapted to local ingredients and coastal cooking styles.

 

3. Indian Spices You’ll Find Everywhere

Here are some key spices Indians introduced that Tanzanian cooks now rely on:

• Cloves: Once priced like gold, cloves perfume biryanis, tea, and spiced sauces.
• Cardamom & Cinnamon: Add warmth and sweetness to rice, tea, and desserts.
• Turmeric & Cumin: Essential in curries, soups, and marinades.
• Black Pepper & Coriander: Used in spice blends, fish rubs, and sauces.

Zanzibari chefs also make halwa, a sticky sweet with sugar, saffron, cardamom, and nuts—another legacy of Indian confections introduced during Arab rule via coastal trade.

 

4. Signature Dishes Born of Spice Fusion

Here are Tanzanian dishes with clear Indian spice influence:

Pilau & Biryani

White or yellow rice cooked with spices and meat or seafood. The aroma of cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom defines celebratory tables—especially in coastal regions and during festivals or weddings.

Kuku Paka (Coconut Curry Chicken)

Grilled chicken bathed in coconut sauce spiced with ginger, turmeric, coriander and chili. This dish reflects Indian cooking techniques applied to coastal ingredients like coconut and fish.

Samosas & Chutneys

These snacks—crispy, savory, and often filled with potatoes or meat—are pure Indian imports. In Tanzania, they’re street food favourites served with tangy fruit chutneys or tamarind sauce.

Halwa

A soft, jelly-like sweet cooked slowly in copper pots with cardamom and saffron—a treat found in Zanzibar markets but beloved in mainland coastal towns too.

 

5. How Indians Brought Spice—and Recipes—to Tanzania

Several waves of migration spread these spices and recipes:

• Early medieval traders from Persia and Gujarat introduced spices and initial recipes to Swahili settlements, influencing local cooking styles early on.
• Indian merchants in the 19th century, especially Gujaratis and Sindhis, settled in Zanzibar, building communities, shops, and kitchens. They influenced both local diets and language—with many Indian food words entering Swahili like “pilau,” “samosa,” “masala”

While later German and British rule added Western touches, Indian influence remains vital to Tanzanian cuisine, especially on the coast—through flavors, vocabulary, cooking techniques, and hospitality.

 

6. Spice Farms: Where It All Grew

Visiting Zanzibar today, you’ll find many spice farms just outside Stone Town—for example in Kizimbani—where guests walk among clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, and pepper trees Farmers let you smell and taste leaves and pods, explaining how each spice is grown, harvested, and used. These tours bring the rich spice legacy alive—and are a sensory highlight of any trip.

 

7. Everyday Tanzanian Cooking with a Dash of India

Even inland, far from the spice farms, Tanzanians use these spices in everyday meals:

• Families now add turmeric-sprinkled rice or cumin-spiced beans to meals.
• Coastal fish stews often include ginger, chilli, coriander, and garlic—drawing from Indian and Arab styles.
• Even sweet chai tea, flavoured with cardamom and cinnamon, has become everyday—not just festive.

 

8. Why This Blend Matters Today

• It’s a story of cultural mixing—Swahili, Bantu, Arab, Persian and Indian traditions merged in Stone Town and along the coast to create something uniquely Tanzanian.
• Spices like cloves and cardamom gave birth to Tanzania’s spice-based economy, shaping exports and exports-based tourism.
• Recipes like samaki wa kupaka or pilau show how culinary adoption can celebrate heritage while embracing innovation.
• Cultural memory lives in food—the festivals, family meals, cafes, and markets all retain Indian spice profiles woven into Tanzanian identity.

 

9. Where to Taste It Across Tanzania

• Zanzibar: Must-visit Stone Town restaurants like Lukmaan make spicy biryani and halwa everyday staples.
• Dar es Salaam: Coastal eateries serve kuku paka, pilau, samosas and masala tea.
• Mkeshafrica & Beach resorts mix Indian spices into grilled fish and curries.
• At Zanzibar spice farms, enjoy cooking demonstrations using fresh spices.
• Even city markets like Dar’s Kariakoo and Stone Town’s Darajani Bazaar offer spice stands full of aroma and history.

 

10. Spice as Story & Identity

Zanzibar’s spice trade shaped not just trade routes, but also taste, culture, and identity in Tanzania. Indian spices and food traditions arrived centuries ago, were adopted and adapted by locals, and now pitch Tanzanian cuisine into the world.

Next time you enjoy a plate of pilau, a samosa at tea, or a bowl of coconut curry, remember—you’re eating history, migration, and fusion on your plate.