eastern-africa
Explore 50 foods connected to Comoros, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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The local shortlist
11 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
50 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
Comoros
A lightly pickled vegetable salad of carrots, cabbage, green beans, and bell peppers; quick-pickled with lime juice, salt, bird's eye chilies, garlic, ginger, and turmeric; a palate cleanser served alongside rich coconut dishes.
Comoros
Chicken pieces simmered in coconut milk with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and cumin; a Malagasy-origin dish slow-cooked until the sauce reduces to a thick golden gravy; a beloved Comorian chicken curry.
Comoros
Pigeon peas simmered in coconut milk with onions, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, and tomatoes; a protein-rich legume curry and a staple of the Comorian diet.
Paris, France
Baguette de tradition
Long thin crusty bread with a soft airy interior, the symbol of French baking.
Comoros
A Comorian wheat or grain porridge enriched with meat, ghee and warm spices for feast days.
Comoros
Small fried cakes of split peas, chili and herbs, a Comorian snack with a crisp shell and soft centre.
Comoros
Mataba au poisson
Cassava leaves finely chopped and cooked with coconut milk, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, curry powder, nutmeg, and cloves; often includes fish (tuna) or meat; a staple everyday Comorian dish.
Mozambique
Small triangular pastries filled with spiced minced beef, chicken or prawn and deep fried, sold three or four at a time.
Kenya
A Kenyan layered flatbread of wheat flour and oil, pan-fried, a daily and festive staple
Kenya
Wali wa nazi
A coastal Swahili rice cooked in coconut milk, a daily and coastal classic
Comoros
Girofle
Dried flower buds of the clove tree; Comoros is the world's fourth-largest exporter of cloves, which make up a major share of export revenues; used extensively in pilau, curries, and spice blends
Comoros
Thé Comorien
Herbal infusions made from native plants rather than true tea; popular varieties include cinnamon leaves, lemongrass, mfandrabo, and other local herbs; a daily beverage with deep cultural roots and believed health benefits.
Comoros
Vanille Bourbon
Bourbon vanilla from the Comoros, a major export crop prized for its quality; used in langouste à la vanille, desserts, and aromatic dishes; a defining 'Perfume Islands' spice.
Comoros
The flowers of the Cananga odorata tree; Comoros is the world's leading producer (around 70% of global supply) of ylang-ylang essential oil; used in perfumery and occasionally as a food flavoring; an iconic 'Perfume Islands' product.
Paris, France
Crescent-shaped laminated pastry, buttery and flaky, adapted from the Austrian kipferl.
Comoros
A Comorian sweet made from coconut, sugar and spice, cut into small pieces for celebrations and tea.
Comoros
Manioc Frit
Cassava cut into chips or batons, boiled, then fried in oil until crispy outside and soft inside; an alternative to potato fries and a popular street snack in the Comoros.
Mozambique
Lagosta grelhada
Rock lobster split and grilled over coals with garlic butter and piri-piri, a staple of the southern beach restaurants.
Comoros
Mahorais Sweet Fritters
Ripe bananas mashed with flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then deep-fried until golden brown and puffy; served dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with honey; a popular sweet street snack.
Comoros
Breadfruit peeled, cored, thinly sliced, and deep-fried in coconut oil until golden and crispy; salted and served as a snack or carbohydrate accompaniment; a beloved Comorian street food.
Comoros
Coarsely ground raw rice cooked in ghee until browned, then mixed with powdered sugar, cardamom, and coarsely ground black pepper; shaped into balls or bricks; a distinctive sweet-spicy Comorian sweet.
Comoros
Spiny lobster grilled over charcoal and finished with citrus, chili and island spices.
Comoros
South African spiny lobster boiled in a rich vanilla sauce with coconut milk, lemon juice, garlic paste, chili powder, and ginger; served on a bed of greens; the national dish of Comoros and a showcase of the 'Perfume Islands' reputation.
Comoros
Banane au Coco
A traditional Comorian stew of green bananas, cassava, and coconut milk with fish (tuna, mackerel, swordfish) or beef/goat; the meat or fish is marinated in chili-garlic paste, poached with vegetables, and finished with fresh coconut milk
Comoros
Cassava leaves pounded and cooked slowly with coconut, aromatics and fish or meat in Comorian kitchens.
Comoros
Mamas Brochettis
Charcoal-grilled skewers of marinated zebu beef, chicken, goat or local fish (swordfish, tuna, shark), sold by women at roadside stalls called brochettis. Served with bata-bata, poutou and achards.
Comoros
Poutou
Fresh, fiery condiment of crushed hot chilli, garlic, onion, whole lemon (with peel), tomato, green mango, papaya and cabbage. It is pounded or blended raw and sits on almost every Mahorais table.
Comoros
Sambusas
Triangular fried pastries filled with spiced minced meat, fish, or vegetables. A Swahili/Indian snack popular as an afternoon or evening street food.
Madagascar
Lavanila
Bourbon vanilla cured on the north-east coast around Sambava and Antalaha, the source of most of the world's supply.
Kenya
Mahamri
A Kenyan sweet fried dough, golden and puffy, served with chai, a daily and street classic
Comoros
Vanille de Mayotte
Planifolia vanilla cured by small producers on Mayotte, often under the Association Senteurs & Saveurs. Pods are dark, oily and prized for chocolate, dried-date and praline notes; used in desserts, rums and fish sauces.
Kenya
A coastal Swahili grilled marinated meat skewer, a street and daily classic
Comoros
A staple Comorian flatbread made with flour, water, sugar, yeast, salt, coconut milk, and beaten egg; baked on a ghee-brushed griddle and sprinkled with sesame seeds; brought by Omani traders; a beloved breakfast and snack bread.
Comoros
A white cake made from soaked rice blended with coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and baking soda; no wheat flour; 'siniya' means tray in Swahili, referring to the tray it is baked in; a classic Comorian dessert.
Comoros
Marinated beef cubes skewered and grilled over charcoal; the marinade includes ginger paste, garlic paste, grated papaya, chili powder, turmeric, lemon juice, and curry powder; similar to East African mishkaki but distinctly Comorian.
Arusha, Tanzania
Green cooking bananas stewed with beef in a coconut and tomato broth until the banana thickens the sauce.