eastern-africa
Explore 41 foods connected to Mayotte, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
Start with Achard aux Légumes →
The local shortlist
8 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
41 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.
Mauritius
Achard
Cabbage, carrot, green bean and palm heart blanched, then dressed in mustard-seed, turmeric and oil and left to pickle for a day.
Togo
Ripe plantain cut into thick slices and fried in red palm oil until the sugars catch, served with raw onion and a chilli sauce.
Paris, France
Baguette de tradition
Long thin crusty bread with a soft airy interior, the symbol of French baking.
Mayotte
Vanille de Bourbon
Bourbon vanilla from Reunion Island; known as the best money can buy; carefully ripened on the island; used in pastries, dishes like vanilla duck, punches, rums, and coffee; the island's former name was Bourbon; a TasteAtlas-listed must-try; the vanilla that is Reunion's treasure.
Reunion
Gâteau Manioc
Traditional cassava cake; a nutritious cake made from manioc (cassava); cooked a l'ancienne under embers; a Reunionese sweet; a TasteAtlas-listed must-try; the gâteau manioc that is a Reunionese tradition.
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.
Kenya
Wali wa nazi
A coastal Swahili rice cooked in coconut milk, a daily and coastal classic
Mauritius
Gato coco
Grated coconut cooked with sugar until it stiffens, tinted pink or white and cut into small blocks.
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.
Reunion
Brèdes
Amaranth greens or other leafy vegetables cooked Creole-style; simmered with garlic, ginger, and chili; a common side dish served with cari and rice; a TasteAtlas-listed must-try; the bredes that are a Reunionese staple.
Mauritius
Cari camaron
Large river prawns cooked in their shells in a light massala-and-tomato curry so the heads flavour the sauce.
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.
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.
New Caledonia
Combava
Combava (kaffir lime); an integral ingredient in New Caledonian recipes; used in combava rillettes and many other dishes; a key flavor in the local culinary scene; a reflection of the Asian influence on New Caledonian cuisine; a versatile, aromatic citrus; a an important part of local flavor.
Mayotte
Whole firm-fleshed reef fish (grouper, red snapper or parrotfish) gently stewed with green mango, bilimbi, tamarind and plum de Cythère. The fruit gives a sour-sweet, aromatic broth and the fish stays moist.
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
Mayotte
Bata-Bata
Cassava, green banana, breadfruit (and sometimes yam or sweet potato) simply boiled or steamed in salted water. The everyday starch accompaniment to grilled meats, fish and stews.
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.
Madagascar
Mokary
Small fermented pancakes made from cassava or rice flour, coconut milk and a little sugar, sometimes flavoured with vanilla. Traditionally cooked in a special indented pan and eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
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.
Mayotte
Makarara
Traditional biscuits made from wheat flour, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and a little baking soda. The dough is rolled, cut into shapes, baked and often dusted with icing sugar.
Mayotte
Mabawa
Chicken wings seasoned with salt and black pepper or a simple onion-salt marinade, then deep-fried until the skin is crisp. A staple of roadside brochettis and home cooking, eaten with rice or fried plantain.
Mayotte
Cornet Buck
Small cone-shaped brioche pastries filled with minced meat and sweet potato, often seasoned with coriander. A portable street snack found at markets.
Mayotte
Fénénétsi
Thick rice-flour pancakes cooked in a special pan (marmite dogo), then bathed in warm coconut milk sweetened with sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. A Ramadan and special-occasion sweet.
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.
Mauritius
Cari poule
Chicken browned with onion, curry leaves and a local massala blend, then simmered with potato and finished with fresh coriander and thyme.
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.
Mauritius
Cari ourite
Octopus tenderised and stewed with tomato, garlic, curry leaves and thyme until the tentacles are soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Guinée Forestière (Nzérékoré / Forest), The Gambia
Emu
Sap tapped from a palm tree and fermenting from the moment it is collected — milky, sweet in the morning, sour and stronger by evening.
Comoros
Mahorais Pilao
A fragrant Comorian spiced rice dish with beef, chicken, or fish; the rice is cooked with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, turmeric, saffron, tomatoes, and onions; Arab-influenced, often prepared for special occasions.
Reunion
Achard de Légumes
Spicy vegetable relish; white cabbage, green beans, carrots, onions, and sometimes green fruit marinated in vinegar, oil, and spices; saffron or turmeric, cumin; derived from the Indian achaar; served with meat, fish, or as a sandwich; a TasteAtlas-listed must-try; the achard that is a Reunionese condiment.