As in other countries on the African continent, the cuisine of East Africa reflects the food crops grown in the region, the different ethnic cultures and religions of the various countries, and their contact with the world, including their colonial heritage.

Facts and figures

East Africa is Africa’s most populous subregion with a population of about 455 million people living in eighteen countries, including the islands Comoros and the Seychelles, and two French dependencies Mayotte and Reunion.

The subregion stretches from Eritrea in the north to Mozambique in the south, with the Indian Ocean off the coast, central Africa to the west and Southern Africa to the southwest.

Mauritius, Madagascar, and the Seychelles are independent island countries, while Mayotte and Reunion are French dependencies Nearly 70% of the population live in rural areas, but many also live in the capital cities, including Mogadishu in Somalia (2,1 million), Nairobi in Kenya (3,5 million), and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia (3,4 million). Dar es Salaam’s 2024 population is estimated at 8 161 230. Dar es Salaam was replaced by Dodoma as the capital city of Tanzania in May 2023.

Ethnic groups

Like most of Africa, East Africa is multiethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-religious. Swahili, primarily a Bantu language that contains elements of Arabic, is a common vernacular among many people in the subregion. They also use European languages that stem from the colonial era to communicate, including English in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, French in Rwanda and Burundi, and Portuguese in Mozambique.

Religion

Christianity and Islam are the two most prevalent religions in East Africa, with Islam being dominant in the Horn of Africa, specifically in Djibouti, Somalia, eastern Kenya, and the Ethiopian region of Ogaden, in which Somalis are the
dominant population. About a third of Tanzania’s population practices Islam. Christianity is the dominant religion in the rest of East Africa, and many people also practice traditional African religions.

Agriculture

All of the countries in East Africa have developing economies which are mostly based on agriculture, but also tourism, and of late renewable energy and manufacturing.

Agriculture is the leading (80%) employer of the population in the subregion and accounts for 25% to 40% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Republic of South Sudan. More than 70% of the industries depend on agriculture as the main source of raw materials, and agricultural commodities make up about 65% of regional trade.

The sector is dominated by smallholder mixed farming of livestock, food crops, cash crops, fishing and aquaculture.
Major food crops are maize, rice, potatoes, bananas, cassava, vegetables, beans and other pulses, as well as wheat, sorghum and millet. Cash crops include tea, coffee, cotton, sugar cane, sisal, horticultural crops, oil-crops, cloves, tobacco, coconuts, cashew nuts and pyrethrum, a plant extract from African chrysanthemum flowers with insecticidal properties.

The livestock sub-sector consists of cattle, sheep, goats, and camels for meat and milk production, pigs, poultry for white meat and eggs, as well as hides and skins for export and industrial processing. Fisheries products include both freshwater fish from rivers, dams and lakes, and marine fish from the Indian Ocean. Forestry products include fruits, honey, herbal medicine, timber and wood for fuel.

Tanzania: Where food cultures meet

Each East African country brings its own unique flavours to the table. In the next chapters, we shall learn more about the food of Tanzania, the food basket of East Africa, as well as Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Tanzanian cuisine

Tanzanian food is a delightful blend of flavours with a coastal influence from the Swahili culture. Dishes like pilau, biryani, and seafood delicacies are popular along the coast, while staples like ugali and nyama choma are enjoyed nationwide.

Ugali or fufu

Ugali, known as posho in Tanzania, is the staple of East African cuisine. It’s a porridge-like dish made from maize, millet, or sorghum mixed with water. It is rolled into a ball with the right hand and eaten with meat, vegetables and sauce.

Ugali is made using maize flour, water and salt, which is optional. Bring the water to boil, reduce the heat slightly and sprinkle a handful of flour into the boiling water, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon. Do not dump all the flour into the water at once as it will cause lumps. Keep adding and stirring until the ugali thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for five to ten minutes to allow it to cook through. Stir once or twice to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen the ugali around the edges and place on a serving plate.

Nyama choma or grilled meat

To make nyama choma you need beef, chicken or goat, salt and black pepper, onion, garlic, ginger and cooking oil. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Put the pieces of meat onto skewers and grill over a hot fire to sear the outside of the meat. Flip and continue grilling until done. Rest the meat for about ten minutes and enjoy.

Wali na maharage, also called wali wa madodo

This simple dish consists of rice and kidney beans cooked in coconut milk and served with a meaty dish like nyama choma. Soak the kidney beans overnight, then wash and rinse. Heat some oil in the pot, add onion and cook until soft, stir in garlic and cook another minute. Add cumin and turmeric and stir until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and cook until softened. Add rice and kidney beans, pour in coconut milk and enough water to cover the rice by about an inch. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn off heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork.

Kachumbari

This is a refreshing tomato and onion salad with fresh flavours of cilantro (fresh leaves of the coriander plant) and lime or lemon juice. Dice the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro and place in a bowl. Add juice and olive oil and flavour with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve on the same day.

Mandazi

Mandazi, also known as maandazi or ndao and sometimes mahamri or mamri, is a slightly sweet snack sold as street
food but are also available at local cafés and bakeries. These triangular fried pastries are typically served for breakfast with a cup of tea. Mandazi is made with flour and yeast and flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom before being deep-fried in hot oil.

Find the recipe here https://www.chefspencil.com/mandazi-african-donuts/

Source references:

East Africa World Atlas: https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/east-african-countries.html

Esteves, S. (2022) Top 15 East African Foods. Chef’s Pencil: https://www.chefspencil.com/eastafrican-foods/

Mike, Swahili Divers (n.d.) Twelve East African foods you need to try in your lifetime. Swahiligecko.com
https://swahiligecko.com/blog/eastafrican-foods

Helen (2022) 31 East African foods you have to try. Heleninwolderlust.co.uk: https://www.heleninwonderlust.co.uk/east-african-foods-you-have-to-try/

Agriculture and Food Security: https://www.eac.int/agriculture