This week was the end of Ramadan and the Eid holiday. Although not every Tanzanian is Muslim, Eid is a two-day national holiday celebrated by all. Prayer calls from mosques continued all day and through the night. Many people wore traditional robes and hats, and more food was out in the streets. We had half days of work to enjoy the holiday with the Tanzanian team. Barbecues, ice cream and many walks to town were involved.
On the topic of food, Tanzania has two main staples; rice and ugali. Ugali is a cornmeal dough that is used as a spoon to pick up other smaller dishes. Beans are a common protein we eat in the house. Chicken is served once a week by our mama but many barbecues serve pork or beef, as chicken is more expensive. Beware for many bones and pieces of fat. Many tropical fruits like mangoes, passion fruit, guava, papaya and avocados can be found. This week our mama pressed fresh mango/avocado/passion fruit juice that was absolutely delicious. We were also able to try fresh coconuts from our tree. Our watchman climbed to the top of palm tree to pick them up! For vegetables we usually have kachumbari (a tomato salad), peas or spinach. Some authentic dishes we love are sweet chapatis, sambusas and chips mayai (a combination of french fries and fried eggs)!
Coconut from our tree BBQ pork
-Palehswan
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