East Africa
Madagascar
Romazava, vanilla and zebu — an island cuisine unlike anywhere else.
Staples
- Vary gasy (indigenous unpolished red highland rice)
- Ravitoto (finely pounded sweet cassava leaves)
- Mangahazo (boiled or sun-dried cassava tubers)
- Voanjobory (earthy Bambara groundnuts)
- Saonjo (taro corms and tender leaves)
Seasonings
- Sakay (pounded bird's eye chili paste with garlic)
- Sakamalaho (crushed fiery local ginger root)
- Diloilo voaniho (cold-pressed artisanal coconut oil)
- Tongologasy (intense local purple-skin garlic)
- Lasary voatabia (fresh tomato, shallot, and ginger relish)
Techniques
- Boiling scorched pot rice crust into tea
- Pounding cassava leaves into fine stewing paste
- Slow-braising fatty zebu cuts with greens
- Pickling shredded green mangoes in chili oil
At the table
Women customarily prepare the daily fare, assembling voluminous mounds of steaming rice surrounded by a modest ladle of brothy laoka and pungent sakay condiment. While highland tables center on heavy pork and ravitoto stews, coastal communities rely on fresh seafood simmered in coconut milk with wild ginger.
24 recipes across 7 courses
Ask AI for moreBreakfast
Mofo gasy
Crisp-edged, pillowy Malagasy yeasted rice cakes with a hint of vanilla and subtle fermentation aroma.
Mokary
Golden, cloud-soft Malagasy rice and coconut pancakes with crisp edges, naturally leavened and cooked in dimpled cast-iron street pans.
Vary amin'anana
A soothing, soupy rice porridge simmered with vibrant leafy greens, fragrant ginger, and tender aromatics.
Vary sosoa (Soft plain water-cooked rice porridge)
Madagascar's foundational morning porridge cooked gently with fragrant rice and water until silken, soothing, and utterly comforting.
Soup
Main
Akoho sy Voanio (Chicken braised in fresh coconut milk and ginger)
Succulent chicken pieces slowly simmered in rich coastal coconut milk, fresh ginger, crushed garlic, and ripe tomatoes with aromatic cloves.
Henan'omby ritra
Tender chunks of zebu beef slow-braised until the cooking juices evaporate, searing the meat in its own rendered fat.
Kitoza (Smoked and sun-dried seasoned beef strips)
Tender yet intensely chewy cured zebu beef strips infused with crushed garlic, coriander, and woodsmoke, pan-seared to a caramelized finish.
Ravitoto sy Henakisoa
Rich and earthy pounded cassava leaves braised long and slow with succulent, caramelized pork belly.
Romazava (Malagasy Beef and Spilanthes Green Stew)
Madagascar's national clear beef stew loaded with melting brisket and tongue-tingling brèdes mafane greens.
Sombilahy (Sun-dried marine fish cooked with tomatoes and herbs)
Sun-cured sea fish simmered gently with ripe tomatoes, ginger, and wild herbs into a fragrant coastal sauce.
Tsaramaso sy Henakisoa (Stewed white beans cooked with fatty pork)
A rich, slow-simmered highland stew of tender white navy beans, melting pork belly, crushed garlic, and aromatic fresh ginger.
Voanjobory sy Henakisoa (Bambara groundnuts stewed with pork)
Earthy Bambara groundnuts braised slowly with succulent pork belly until rich, creamy, and deeply savory.
Side
Kily sy Sakay (Spicy tamarind and bird's eye chili paste)
A fiery, tangy Malagasy condiment blending sour tamarind pulp with pounded bird's eye chilies, garlic, and sea salt.
Lasary voatabia
A vibrant, zesty Malagasy tomato and scallion relish crushed with ginger and fiery chili to cut through rich meat stews and rice.
Maniok-peta (Boiled and lightly pounded cassava tubers)
Tender steamed cassava roots gently mashed into a rustic, buttery paste flavored with zebu marrow fat, sea salt, and wild garlic.
Dessert
Drink
Betsabetsa (Fermented sugarcane juice with aromatic bark)
An earthy, effervescent traditional fermented cane elixir infused with bitter citrus leaves, aromatic wild bark, and wild yeast.
Ranovola
A smoky, comforting Malagasy roasted rice infusion brewed by boiling water directly over the caramelized crust at the bottom of the rice pot.
Street food
Katlesy (Spiced mashed potato and minced meat croquettes)
Spiced, savory beef-stuffed potato patties coated in crisp breadcrumbs and deep-fried to a rich golden brown by coastal Malagasy street vendors.
Mofo baolina (Fried sweetened flour dough balls)
Golden, crisp-crusted sweet dough spheres with a tender, cake-like interior perfumed with pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and freshly grated nutmeg.
Mofo menakely (Crispy fried rice and banana ring doughnuts)
Golden, crispy ring doughnuts made from rice flour and mashed banana, with a signature chewy center and caramelized crust sold at busy crossroads.
Nem (Sino-Malagasy fried crisp spring rolls)
Crisp golden rice-paper rolls bursting with seasoned minced pork, crunchy cabbage, and fragrant wood ear mushrooms.
Tsakitsaky (Crispy spiced savory fried flour twists)
Ultra-crunchy, golden fried dough ribbons seasoned with crushed cumin, turmeric, garlic, and fiery pili-pili chili for the ultimate savory crunch.