Coffee in Zanzibar Written and photographed by Christopher J.
Varady
Coffee is perhaps one of the main products and cultural elements
which links Zanzibar to the Middle East. The Arabica coffee grown
on the islands have been traded for centuries, since the times
when dhows plied the East African coast with the monsoon winds.
The Swahili name for coffee, kahawa, is obviously reflective
of the shared trade in this precious commodity between African
and Arab cultures.
In fact, the art of coffee preparation and drinking is still
to this day virtually identical in Zanzibar as it is in Jeddah
or Cairo. Preparation involves traditional methods which rely
on adding the grounds to boiling water and flavoring the coffee
with cardamom, cinnamon, or ginger.
Coffee, like Swahili cuisine, makes use of the abundant spices
and tastes which are indigenous to the islands. Coffee is served
piping hot in small porcelain cups with maximum caffeine. Don’t
look for milk to be added here, as this is not the Europeanized
version of the drink. Coffee here is strong, black, and spicy.
Neither is sugar ever added; coffee is only sweetened with kasata
- a dry sugar-and-coconut based desert or halua - a jelly-like
treat traditionally reserved for Arabic special occasions.
Zanzibar’s two best coffee houses, Msumbi Coffee House
and the Zanzibar Coffee House, both serve coffee according to
professional standards. They are as serious about their coffee
as the best wine connoisseurs.
But perhaps it is coffee’s social aspect that makes it
so important and unique in Zanzibar. Coffee is a drink not to
be drunk alone, but rather as a connector between people and a
tool for leisure time. In Zanzibar, the bazaar, a cement bench
which is part of the exterior of most homes, is everywhere in
Stone Town. It is where friends gather and relax, mingling with
the world outside the home. Bazaars and coffee mean people
come together. This tradition is just as alive as it was in times
past.
Christopher Varady
is a humanitarian relief worker currently based in the Middle
East. He contributes travel articles on destinations experiencing
social change that we all can appreciate and encourage.
