STONE TOWN, Zanzibar --The fabled spice islands of Zanzibar has long invoked a sense of mysterious enchantment and adventure, conjuring images of an exotic world adorned with ancient palaces and old colonial forts, of narrow street markets where merchants and traders come to sell their treasures, of dhow boats dotting the sapphire sea and of women hiding behind beautiful colors of fabric.
This African paradise, just off the coast of Tanzania’s mainland, is infused with a unique mix of cultures that tells a rich and turbulent history: of the Shirazi Persians, who settled and intermarried in the 10th century; of the Portuguese empire, who conquered and ruled over the island for more than 100 years; of the Gujarati and other Indian traders, who created important trading settlements; of the Omani sultans, who turned Zanzibar into the epicenter of slave trade in East and Central Africa; and of the British, who became the protectorate of Zanzibar until the island won its independence in 1963 and united with mainland Tanzania.
With Zanzibar’s spices and mix of cultures comes a cuisine that is truly unique to the island. Traditional Swahili food is infused with flavors of the Middle East and India and fresh seafood is finely seasoned with local spices.
Zanzibar is known throughout the world as “The Spice Island” due to centuries of merchants bringing spices to the island and harvesting it. Today, Zanzibar's main revenue is spice export, producing major spices such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, chillies and black pepper as well as other food products such as fruits, coffee, and vanilla. These spices also attract the attention of tourists, who are eager to visit one of the hundreds of spice farms located on the island and learn more about the origins of their food.
Text/Photos: Gabriella Demczuk