National cuisine of Mozambique for gourmets. Authentic recipes, delicacies and specialties

Mozambique cuisine is a combination of the cooking traditions of the Bantu people, Indians, Arabians, and Portuguese. Meat, fish, vegetables, different cereals, and fruit are the main ingredients here. When it comes to meat, goat, pork, beef, and chicken are the most popular choices. Some dining establishments offer exotic meat for tourists, such as the meat of antelope, crocodile, and even porcupine. Rice, beans, potato, corn, manioc, and vegetables are the most popular garnishes. It doesn’t matter where in Mozambique you choose to stay, pay attention to the water that you drink. Do not drink any water you can find. It is better to buy bottled water in shops or supermarkets and drink it. Refrain from buying bottled water from street vendors. Hotels have restaurants and cafes. If you want to try something new, you can visit city restaurants.

Cereals such as millet, rice, and manioc are very popular. Among the most popular dishes, it is important to mention Paozinho with beef and pork, spicy Matapa with seafood (crab or shrimps), garlic, onion, and Mozambique Piri-Piri hot sauce with Malagueta pepper. Grilled chicken with coconut milk is a frequently ordered dish. Frango à Zambeziana or Zambezi chicken cooked in lemon juice with pepper and garlic is the signature dish of the country, as well as Piri-Piri Chicken – an all-time favorite choice. A bitter vegetable called Kakana has an original taste. This is one more symbol of Mozambique. Locals use it for different purposes, including sauces.

Kakana brew is a popular drink in the country, and locals of all ages consume it. Kakana is believed to be particularly useful for men. Coffee is cultivated in the country; this is also a traditional and popular drink. Rooibos tea is another popular drink. Rooibos is an endemic plant of Africa that doesn’t grow in any other continent. The tea from this plant is mildly sweet and astringent. Rooibos tea has a full and harmonious taste with a fruity hint and some nut undertones. This drink is famous for its rejuvenating properties. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

It is not rare to see the following picture in Maputo – a large table with a heavy device attached to it stands in the middle of a street. This device looks like a big meat grinder or a grinding machine with a big wheel that is operated by hand. This is how a juice squeezer looks like. This device works with sugarcane that is also cultivated here. The ripe sugarcane has a thickness similar to a big cucumber. After the squeezer, it is almost paper-thin. The extracted juice is poured into canisters and baskets. However, tourists shouldn’t drink this juice because there is no guarantee that the baskets are clean.

Cashew nut liqueur is one of the most famous alcoholic drinks in the region despite its sour taste. However, tourists are recommended to buy alcohol by internationally famous brands sold in large shops. Beer is very popular in Mozambique. Some varieties can contain ginger, thyme, and other spices. Such brands as 2M and Laurentina are the most popular. The wine-drinking habit has appeared in the country with the Portuguese. Wine in Mozambique is mostly exported from Portugal and neighboring South Africa.

Seafood has one of the major roles in traditional cuisine. Different species of ocean fish, shrimps, lobsters, and crabs are widely used here. Wrapping fish into banana leaves and cooking it on hot coals is one of the most popular cooking methods. To bake bread, local people use corn and manioc flour. Rice is very popular in poorer places. In popular tourist cities, there are many street vendors who offer fresh-pressed juices. That being said, Maputo is the biggest tourist destination in the country. All other cities are significantly less popular.

Cashew nuts are widely cultivated in Mozambique. The country even exports them to its neighbors. Tourists can buy ready to eat cashew roasted on coals. There are several varieties of roasted cashews – with salt, various spices, cracked nuts, and well-roasted nuts. All these variations are available in local markets. It is not rare to see street vendors who sell nuts in Maputo. As a rule, these sellers offer only one variation – roasted cashew. The process of selling nuts is the following. A girl seller has a big sack of roasted nuts and two stones, a big and a small one. She uses these stones to crack the nuts and puts them into a cup. The nuts are sold per cup.

Tourists in search of quality dining in Maputo should visit Maputo Water Front. This restaurant is perfectly suitable for groups of visitors, families, and individual guests. Experienced travelers recommend this restaurant as the best destination for the first visit to Mozambique. Pleasant atmosphere, gorgeous views, delicious food, affordable prices, and live music on Fridays – this is exactly what guests of Maputo need. Zambi is one more popular restaurant. It enjoys a beneficial location with striking sea views, a calm and romantic atmosphere, quality and attentive service, and a range of signature meat dishes. Zambi is an expensive restaurant. Groups of visitors get more attention than single guests. A visit to any of these two restaurants is sure to leave many pleasant memories.