Celtnet Tanzanian Recipes and Cookery, Home Page

Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is an East African country named for the union of Tanganyika, its mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast. Tanganyika united with Zanzibar in 1964, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. The capital and largest city is Dar es Salam (though the legislature sits in Dodoma) and Tanganyika achieved independence from Britain on December 9, 1961 — whilst Zanzibar achieved independence on January 12, 1964. The African population consists of more than 120 ethnic groups, of which the Sukuma, Haya, Nyakyusa, Nyamwezi, and Chagga have more than 1 million members. Other groups include the Pare, Sambaa or Shambala and Ngoni. The majority of Tanzanians, including such large ethnic groups as the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi, have Bantu origins. Tanzania is a religiously divided country, with, on the mainland, Muslims account for 35% of the population, an estimated 30% of the population is Christian, and 35% adherents to traditional faiths. On Zanzibar, by contrast, the population is 99% Muslim. Though there is no official language as such, Swahili is the de facto official language, with English gaining ascendancy once more after the opening of the economy.

Mainland Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika) is bordered on the east by the Indian ocean and also borders the African Great lakes: Malawi, Victoria and Tanganyika. As might be expected fish (both salt and freshwater) are an important part of the Tanzanian diet. This is especially true of the island of Zanzibar, the other part of Tanzanian territory. The traditional carbohydrate base is ugali (traditionally made with Farina [cream of wheat] though it can also be made from cornmeal) though rice is also a common staple. Depending on the region, there is light ugali made with cornmeal flour and there is a darker ugali made with millet flour, but also peanuts Bananas (more especially plantains) are commonly used as a starch source for many meals. The Tanzanian diet also contains the local fruit and vegetables: rice, Wheat, corn, beans, cabbage, various nuts, bananas, mangos, pineapple and coconut, which is also consumed as milk. As in many African countries consumption of meat is not common, though chicken is used in many recipes and duck is considered a delicacy.