DESTINATION MOMBASA KENYA: THE BEST COASTAL SWAHILI DISHES-DESTINATION MOMBASA KENYA

COASTAL SWAHILI DISHES-DESTINATION MOMBASA KENYA

Kenyan food and experiences

Coastal Swahili Dishes

Spicy, Indulgent, Kenyan Cooking and Food at its best!
Mombasa. The name sounds like a song right? I can’t help but be biased towards this beautiful town that has an ancient culture and way of life to it, it has me intrigued completely! The best part about it being is that I was privileged to grow up there.

Mombasa Beaches

Mombasa City-Magnificent Pwani

Mombasa Moi Avenue Tusks

I had one of the best Kenyan experiences as a child and one thing I shall always carry with me are the breakfast delicacies that I always had.
Numero Uno on the list- Kaimati!
These were deliciously small, soft, round donuts that would be coated with icing sugar and washed down with Kahawa Tungu-the local version of an expresso but with an added spicy punch-cardamon to be precise (always served in small multi-colured cups-like tots). Pure heavenly Kenyan food!

Deliciously Soft and Indulgently Sweet Kaimati

Kahawa Tungu

My next best breakfast treat and a firm Kenyan coast favorite was Mahamri na Mbahazi. This was basically a pocket of freshly fried, sweet and spicy batter, into which a delicious concoction of coconut cream coated beans would be stuffed in. To wash it down, you would have either masala tea or kahawa tungu for the coffee addicts!

Beautifully Fragrant Kenyan Coffee

Mahamri na Mbahazi

Masala for Tea

Chai ya Masala (Masala)

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Kenya Food in Lamu - The Local Setting:

Swahili cooking has an influence from the Indian, Arabian and Bantu culinary traditions.

Spices, fish, coconut milk and rice are the main essential ingredients in most of their meals. Along the roadside, women dressed in kangas will see an array of snacks which include skewers of meat or fish (mshikaki), coconut milk (madafu) which is drunk from the coconut shell, freshly fried samosas and mahamri (spiced doughnut).

Lamu - Places to Eat:

Lamu -Tusitiri Dhow

Tusitiri, meaning ‘something we treasure’, is a 20 meter wooden sailing boat that sails from Lamu to Kiwayu Island and back. As the Dhow sails the crystal clear Indian ocean waters, you will enjoy a gourmet spread of freshly caught seafood and fish.
Morning menus include fresh bananas, mangoes, papaya and star-fish shaped pineapples.
5 course lunches are made on the Dhow’s open air kitchen and served around a central hardwood table.
Menu:

Coconut Fish soup with saffron
Crab Cocktail with Fresh Peanuts
Fish in Sambal with Vegetables in a Coconut Shell
Caramel Bananas with Tamarind Syrup

Kenya Food in Lamu - Peponi Hotel

Peponi Hotel is a small family run hotel that was opened in 1967. The Korschen family have retained much of its original character making it a favorite for visitors to the archipelago.Though small, Peponi has seen some celebrities walk through its doors like - Naomi Campbell and Robert de Niro. They offer classic continental dishes but they also have swahili dishes on offer.
Menu

Old Pal Cocktail
Spicy Mango Soup
Mchuzi Wa Kamba
Ginger Nut Lime Pie

Lamu- Fatuma's Tower

Fatuma was a mysterious lady who lived unmarried and attended by 5 female slaves, over a century ago. Upon her death, the house became a ruin for almost a century. The house was then repaired by Gillies and Fiammetta but they were careful to retain its characteristic swahili features. This includes the Tamarind Tree that grew in the court yard when the house became a ruin.
The food served at Fatuma's tower is essentially traditional swahili food. Food is usually served in a small courtyard which is in the center of the property. The owners have carefully placed antiques from India and Kenya in all corners of the room to give it that exotic feel.
Menu