It has been just a few hours since my friend and I landed in the archipelago of Zanzibar, off the coast of mainland Tanzania. The people here are disarmingly sweet, greeting you multiple times a day, often followed by the ever-present Swahili expression, “Hakuna Matata”. The warm hospitality, sweet smiles, and the occasional broken Hindi phrase, kaise ho aap (how are you?), once they learn you are from India. It all reaffirms their deep-rooted connection with the country. And as the days stretched, from two to a full week, I realised that the Indian influence here is anything but subtle.
Vitumbua
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India on a Zanzibari plate Zanzibar’s coastline looks even more stunning under the moody skies. Overlooking the pouring rain from The Dining Room restaurant at The Residence Zanzibar resort, my eyes immediately drift to the local section of the menu — Swahili chapatti, pilau, sambusa — all of it strikingly similar to Indian fare. It was a moment of culinary déjà vu.
Chicken Pilau
