If you thought that Zanzibar pizza is just like the Italian one, but with local ingredients from the island, well… think again! Because this food is totally different, both in terms of aspect, as well as taste. By reading this article further, you will find out everything about one of the most appreciated dishes in our highly popular tourist destination. Before revealing the actual recipe of this delicious street food, we must say that, as with almost everything else here, it’s a mix of flavors and styles – European, Indian, and Arabic.

Zanzibar pizza – ingredients & how to make it

Ingredients: dough – flour (1 cup), salt (1 tablespoon), vegetable oil (2 tablespoons), water (1/2 cup); fillings – 1 onion (diced), 2 tomatoes (diced), cream cheese cubes, mayonnaise, eggs, minced meat, chili;

How to make it?

1. In a bowl, add flour, salt, oil, and water. Make the dough into a ball, cover it, and set it aside for at least 1 hour;

2. Oil the countertop and stretch the dough into a large disk;

3. Add the fillings, including the egg, cream cheese, and mayo;

4. Bring the four sides of the dough together in the center, leaving only a small space in between;

5. Add the uncooked Zanzibar pizza into a pan, with a little oil, and cook each side for around 8 minutes;

6. Once done, cut it into small pieces and serve it with your favorite sauce (or even chutney).

Of course, if you plan a trip to the magnificent pearl of the Indian Ocean, you don’t have to worry about cooking Zanzibar pizza, as you can try it on any street corner, both literally and figuratively. However, to get an idea of how it tastes, we’ve selected some relevant testimonials. Therefore, according to Miriam Malaquias, a chef & author from Tanzania (the country to which our territory belongs, de facto), it “looks nothing like Italian pizza and tastes nothing like Italian pizza. After all, which pizza has mayo or cream cheese?”.

On the other hand, BBC journalist Sarah Khan, who had the chance of tasting Zanzibar pizza years after she first heard about it, described it as “an amalgam of flavors and textures, folded into a tidy little packet and fried to order. Unlike its Italian name, this pizza reminded me of mutabbaq, a savory pancake I grew up eating in Saudi Arabia”.

One of the best occasions to enjoy a hot Zanzibar pizza, both literally and figuratively, is during our Stone Town walking tour. It will take you through the unique streets of the old city, guarded by the stone buildings erected by the Arabs, Portuguese, British, and Indians, during the cosmopolite city’s long history. While enjoying the culinary delicacy, you’ll visit interesting places such as the House of Wonders, Forodhan Garden, and Darajani Market, and you’ll find out interesting information such as the fact that Freddie Mercury, the famous leader of the band Queen, was born here. We are waiting for you!