Tanzania´s Culinary Ambassador: A Fusion of Freshness

Passport & Plate - Cocktail ya Avocado

Tanzania | Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
1.) Find the freshest avocados available (qty.: 2)
- preferably blackish soft ones, they are ripe and evolve a full taste
2.) Chase local markets for big, ripe tomatoes (qty.: 2)
- recommended is a tight peel and soft meat, they have a strong, sweet taste
3.) Prepare garlic (qty.: 2 pcs.)
4.) Red onion (qty.: 1/2)
5.) Green pepperoni (qty.: 2)
- stick to bigger red onions whose taste is sweeter
- use green pepperoni only; they are the condiment you are searching for to replace pepper with a boost of natural, hot freshness
6.) Try to find the freshest green limes available (qty.: 2-3)
- this will turn the tide on the dish
7.) Look for fresh, unsalted cashews, ideally originating from Tanzania (amount: 50g)
- pay special attention to their consistency, the softer the better (accounts also for their quality)

Quantities serve for two

How to prepare this recipe

Preparations

Chopping board
Sharp knife
Spoon
5 Small Bowls
Big Bowl
Mortar (optional)

Store tomatoes and limes in a cool place or in the fridge
Do not cut the avocados into two before you start cooking

Get started

Tomatoes:

1.) Wash the tomatoes with hot water when they still have a cool surface
- they will keep their ideal consistency
2.) Use the sharp knife to cut them into small pieces
- about the size of your fingertip
3.) Remove the tomatoes´ juice (resulting from the cutting process) by pouring it from the chopping board into one of the bowls
4.) Put the bowl with the tomatoes´ juice aside
– it will serve later to spice-up the whole dish
5.) Pour the tomato pieces into another bowl

Garlic:

1.) Peel it and cut it into tiny bits

Pepperoni:

1.) Cut them into small slices
2.) Cross-cut these

Onions:

1.) Peel them and cut them into thin slices
2.) Only cut them according to / following their structure
- otherwise they will lose their full sweetness
3.) Pour garlic, onions and pepperoni into another bowl

Cashews:

1.) Use the mortar or the spoon to squeeze them into tiny bits
- the fourth bowl is reserved for these

Avocados:

1.) Cut them into two
2.) Remove the pit
3.) Peel out the meat with the spoon and put it into the remaining bowl
- I recommend doing this as the last step because avocados quickly lose their freshness and their meat gets a brownish colour


It´s time to mix

1.) Pour the contents of all bowls into the big one
- the order is up to you
2.) Mix the content by using the spoon
- take your time to smell the freshness of your dish


Spice-up your dish

1.) Cut the limes (they should be cold at that point) into two and squeeze their juice into the bowl with the tomatoes´ juice
2.) Stir the juice
3.) Pour this fusion of freshness on your dish and twist it with the spoon

Now your delicacy is ready-made: Enjoy!


East Africa: Refreshing Culinary Cross-Roads Ahead!

An internship in Tanzania: What else could I wish for to make my summer holidays a sense. Travelling addict, self-made globetrotter and much into cultural encounters, I couldn´t wait for my vacation to start. In a glimpse of time I was there, right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Dar es Salaam, an ever-growing metropolis on the shores of the Indian Ocean. How well I prepared to the vibrant life in East Africa, - were there not my starving stomach and a slight misfit between abstract expectations and real life conditions. If everyday life becomes a challenge, food turns into more than eating. This was the first lesson I learned. The second was quick to follow: Think like a local to eat like a local: Eat fresh, stay healthy and enjoy tropical Tanzania, where fruit and vegetable always are on season. Once arrived in Dar es Salaam, I did not have any speaking abilities in Swahili, nor were the locals familiar with English. Some hesitant tries later, I was sure that talking about cuisine, means using a universal language of its own: Gesturing and smiling are the ingredients to make yourself understood. A couple of minutes passed and I was equipped with what would become my uncontested favourite dish since then. Stir and mix the country´s finest ingredients into a refreshing, mouth-watering delicacy. Every bite reminds me of the natural richness Tanzania has to offer, culinary talks across cultural boundaries and how cuisine can make you new friends around the globe.