Wonders of Spice Island – Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zanzibar island, located on the eastern side of Tanzania, is a stone’s throw away from the capital city, Dar Es Salaam.  An interesting blend of African, Arabic, Persian, and Indian influences, the Zanzibar Archipelago is famous for its sandy beaches, spices (it’s known as Spice Island), seafood and the unique confluence of these cultures. I was in Zanzibar for only a weekend; commitments to hold steadfast to my volunteer teaching job on mainland Tanzania prevented me from staying longer in this vacationing and beach paradise.

My most memorable meal on Zanzibar was in Archipelage Café-Restaurant, an ocean-facing restaurant in Stone’s town with a lovely terrace on the upper floor. I had an orange and ginger grilled snapper, which was very fresh and delicious, accompanied by pilau. Pilau, a derivation of the word ‘Pilaf’, is rice beautifully spiced with cardamom, cumin, cloves and topped with raisins. Since Zanzibar is the world’s number one producer of cloves, you will see street vendors proclaiming passionately the benefits of the clove, the clove oil and all its variant products. I went on a 'Spice Island tour', which lasted about half a day. It was really educational and enjoyable since I hadn’t actually seen a clove tree or a nutmeg tree in my life. These pictures were taken on that Spice Island tour.