The Myths of Zanzibar

Zanzibar, Spice Island

Zanzibar

In Zanzibar, curved triangles glide across the horizon every evening, the silhouettes of sails rather than sharks, as fishermen return home for the day. Women stride into the water, wrapped in patterned kangas, to load the catch into buckets they carry on their heads.

The world calls Zanzibar the Spice Islands, thanks to the cinnamon, coriander and vanilla plantations that flourish here, plus the intersection of trade routes from the gardens and kitchens of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Our dreary dinner, therefore, was something of a mystery.

I reread the choices: Moroccan chicken, Neapolitan pasta and chicken curry. By now, I knew that each dish was the same – some unidentifiable meat in a sickly tomato sauce, created by the chef who doubled as the barman and trebled as the receptionist.

I was still gazing at the handwritten menu propped up in the sand when the dhow boats returned and the fishing procession began. Gleaming octopus with tentacles dangling, buckets of silver, slippery fish and nets bursting with full-bodied, amber fish…

The chef walked past.

“Would it be alright,” I asked carefully,” if we bought some fish for dinner…or octopus… Anything, really.”

“You like seafood?” He looked confused.

I felt confused. “Er, yes.”

His shoulders dropped and he beamed. “Thank goodness!”

That night, we ate some of the freshest and finest seafood I’d ever tasted.

We also laid the ghosts of two myths to rest: that the food here was awful and that foreigners only eat meat.

Zanzibar Skyline

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13 Responses to “The Myths of Zanzibar”

  1. neha May 24, 2010 at 9:30 pm #

    This is such a beautiful piece. I’ve never been to Zanzibar but the scene was so clearly, I could almost touch it, and taste it.

  2. Abi May 27, 2010 at 2:38 pm #

    Thanks Neha – what a lovely comment!

  3. Suzy May 28, 2010 at 6:02 pm #

    Lovely snippet of Zanzibar. I could see the whole scene as you described, although those photos are gorgeous.

  4. Abi May 31, 2010 at 7:09 pm #

    Suzy, please drop by again! I love comments like that :)

  5. Tom Volpe May 31, 2010 at 9:50 pm #

    Fantastic post, thanks for a really enjoyable read. I love the photos too. Zanzibar is really high on my wish list and I think you just moved it up a few places!

  6. Christine B.Osborne June 1, 2010 at 12:14 pm #

    Above all other spices, Zanzibar is famous for cloves.

    • Abi June 7, 2010 at 7:57 am #

      Interesting – I don’t think I tasted cloves at all!

  7. Vibi June 4, 2010 at 5:11 pm #

    What a lovely main picture. Makes me wanna go there. NOW!

  8. William K Wallace September 12, 2010 at 5:57 pm #

    When I do my African adventure in 2012, Zanzibar is going to be where the journey ends, before I return to London…

    • Abi September 14, 2010 at 5:09 pm #

      A perfect choice in my opinion! Hope you have an amazing journey…

  9. Elspeth Wrigley June 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm #

    Good for you!

    The freshest juiciest pineapple my daughter and I have ever eaten was on our trip to Zanzibar – it was at least ten years’ ago, but we still rate all other pineapples by that one!

    It was cut freshly for us – to our amazement, because until then I ashamedly hadn’t appreciated how they grew, and with unease as it was during Ramadan.

    However the pineapple farmer insisted, demanded that we ate his pineapple, and took great joy in our appreciation!

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