One cannot talk about any culture without at least mentioning the food. In Tanzania gastronomy means one thing: the market. Every decent sized town has a central market place where economy meets agronomy. In fact in Moshi, there are three markets with excess business spilling out along the sidewalks of the major roads. Boma has one main market which is open on Wednesdays and Fridays and two older, smaller markets that are open daily. However, Boma's markets are expensive so on Tuesday and Saturday mornings I drive Mama ten minutes down the road to the big market in Sadalla. Here you can find everything from fresh produce to used shoes at a good price – that is unless you are white. Haggling over prices is part of the every day routine and having white skin, and therefore millions of dollars in the bank according to their logic, puts one at a disadvantage.
The sounds, smells, and sights of the market makes the senses tingle with excitement. Vibrant colors of women's clothing blend in amongst neat stacks of bright fruits and vegetables creating a sea of colors. Women sit on five gallon buckets with their legs outstretched across old corn sacks that serve as showcases for their agricultural merchandise. “Kaka Karibu,” they say politely with curious smiles as I walk by. This essentially means “brother, you are welcome to buy.” Voices near and far shout energetically “tatu tatu tatu” (three hundred, three hundred, three hundred) as mamas try to advertise their prices. Strong men in torn shirts wearing tattered shoes whistle at you to move aside as they push homemade wheelbarrows laden with baskets and bunches of bananas down the isles. As you continue, the smell of low tide wafts in your direction from the stands selling dried fish. The smell seems out of place in such a dry place, but one must remember our relative proximity to the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria.
Boma is parched for the majority of the year, quenched only by biannual rains. Right now we are in the midst of the short rain period where just about every or every other night for about a month we receive a short steady rain. The rain disturbs sleep as it pounds on the corrugated iron sheet roof, but it is a welcome disturbance as it puts food on the tables of many Tanzanians.
Due to the lack of rain, I was surprised to see the variety of crops grown around Boma. I also expected to see strange unrecognizable crops and foreign fruits. However, the crops in this area are very similar to those you find in America and there is plenty of variety. Corn and beans are the largest crops in this area largely because they are not water intensive. However, at farms like ours where we have the ability to pump water from a river year round, you can find everything from potatoes to bananas.
The variety of crops sold at the markets is even more extensive than what is grown in our area because of our proximity to different climates. Villages on the slopes of Kilimanjaro for example are far more tropical and bananas and avocados grow naturally. If you travel farther east you will reach the Indian Ocean and a town called Tanga, which is home to oranges, mangos and other tropical fruits. Dried fish of all different shapes from Lake Victoria in the west make their way to our markets where they sit in neat piles on market stands ready to be wrapped in newspaper.
While many of the raw ingredients are the same as those found in an American kitchen, the food could not be much more different. The best words to describe Tanzanian cuisine would be peasant food. It is simple food that features the flavors of the main vegetable ingredients rather than those of spices. The food is always starch intensive and often lacks sufficient protein. Starch is the focus of every meal because it provides a filler. Every meal is focused around either ugali (boiled cornflower), rice (always white), chips (the British kind), chapati (wheat flower tortillas), or spaghetti which is both completely out of place and cooked to death. Schoolchildren often eat makande which is boiled corn and beans because it is cheap to prepare. As you might expect, this diet creates many skinny children with big bellies.
The next element of a meal is vegetables. Vegetables are incredibly fresh so this is often the tastiest part. Finely chopped greens cooked in sunflower oil, garlic, onions and tomatoes are definitely the most common dish. The greens come in a handful of varieties, but preparation is the same and taste is very similar. We eat mboga, as it is called, nearly every day. Another common dish is green bananas boiled with vegetables. This is one of my favorite dishes because it is filling, has nutritional value, and is quite tasty.
Protein in the meal is often lacking. The focus of Tanzanian food is price and good protein is often not in the budget. Beans are a cheap alternative to meat and there are many days when we eat only rice and beans. When the budget allows, Tanzanians will eat beef, pork, chicken, fish, goat, or lamb, but it is prepared very differently than I am used to. First, butchers do not refrigerate meat. Cow or pig carcasses hang from meat hooks in small shops throughout town and butchers will hack off your favorite part and hand it it you wrapped in newspaper or a plastic bag. Flies buzz around and something black, likely a mold or a fungus, grows on the outside of the hide. Nothing goes to waste and you are particularly lucky if you find a piece of tongue in your meal. Fish are also quite different. The dried fish don't need to be refrigerated and only require soaking in water before cooking. They come in all shapes and sizes but most frequently we eat the smallest ones that are about an inch and a half long. They come with the spine removed, but don't be fooled, they eat the head and eyes which are still intact.
Out of all of this food what do I eat? They say when in Rome do as the Romans do, but from experience I have found that it actually takes a bit of searching to find a true Italian meal in Rome. However, in Tanzania you have little choice but to eat the food. While some expensive hotels offer their frighteningly far off take of western food, everyday food is always Tanzanian. Furthermore, to not accept food from a mama is seriously offensive so in the interest of being polite and making friends I grit my teeth and dig into whatever is on the table. Some of the food is very good and some of it is somewhat sketchy. In particular, I have gotten used to eating some pretty strange pieces of meat. After eating rice and beans for a few days straight a piece of pork that is three quarters fat and one quarter meat suddenly looks appealing. I can't say that I will miss the food when I leave, but I also can't complain and I'm happy to eat local food while I am here.
Beans that grow at our farm
The busy scene at the Sadala market
A mama sells vegetables at the Sadala market
Mamas sit on buckets at the Sadala market waiting for business
Pili Pili - Be careful they are hot!
One of the ingredients of uji (porridge) before being ground
African women are strong. They carry everything from bananas to baskets to water on their heads for long distances. There is no rest when they return home as they must cook and clean for the family.
Mamas sell produce on the streets of Moshi
Mboga za majani
Our store room is full after going to market
This hen actually has a funny story. One morning I was on my way out the door to bike to the farm when pastor stopped me. He asked me to take this chicken to the farm so we strapped it to the luggage rack with a rubber strip. About halfway to the farm the chicken suddenly broke free and started running away wildly. A mason who was working on a home nearby helped me catch the bird and tie her back down.
Only in Africa...
A butcher uses an axe to chop meat for a customer. Why not?
A machine works in the evening to grind corn for ugali
