Sambusas

A Story that isn't Really a Story, but Contains Descriptions of Heavenly Food

I don’t know if you’ve ever had a sambusa, but they are these delightful snack you can find almost anywhere in Tanzania. They are fried pouches of spiced meat and vegetables neatly folded into triangles, much like samosas, but with a different spice palate. While traveling around Tanzania, they were frequently tucked into our lunches, as they made fantastic cold lunch.

            I sampled many sambusas, hot and cold, beef and vegetarian (maybe even chicken), and all by different chefs. The best ones I tried were at mid-morning tea with the teachers of Kilimatembo Secondary School. They were perfectly warm and almost sweet, fueling our soccer match with some of the students.

            To accompany the amazing savory treats, I had cucumbers, watermelon, and bananas (ndizi in Kiswahili). Some of my travel companions partook of the carrots and I think they even served soup! Although it was tea time, we also had the option of coffee, water, juices, and sodas, and the tea was from the mountain we had just climbed.

            I went back for seconds. Multiple times.