Dagaa

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Jessie

Before I arrived in Dar I imagined a full-immersion of local foods and ingredients. After all, it’s what I look forward to the most when I travel. It was a bit more difficult in Dar, partly due to the saturation of international cuisine in our expat neighborhood, partly due to the lack of a varied Swahili cuisines (centuries of being a trade port has welcomed influences from far and wide), and partly because the local cuisine, when you find it, isn’t always that good.

With that said, in the last year and a half I have been surprised, many times, by the simplicity and flavor of some of the local dishes here (when I find it). I can never get enough of the mangoes at this time of year, or the watermelons in late summer. I love the various spinach-like greens stewed in coconut or peanut, the peppery grilled seafood–always grilled to perfection, the beef and plantain stews, and have even come to enjoy the plain, flavorless maize paste, called ugali, that is just as much a staple starch as it is a vessel to shovel aforementioned stews into one’s mouth.

I’m also pleasantly surprised by these little guys– called Dagaa. Dagaa is usually sold dried, and are available at most local, open air markets. They can also be procured fresh, slippery and silvery, from the fish markets. The dagaa is a small, sardine- or anchovy-like fish, used to accent dishes (usually, greens) when fresh but more often consumed in dry form, either in cooking or simply as a snack. It’s not for the faint of heart, these little salty fishy chewy snacks that pack a flavorful punch, particularly when they’re in the markets in these massive mountains.

Kivukoni Fish Market >> Fish Auctions

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Jessie

Kivukoni Oceanfront near City Centre is a lively place in town; a peek into the REAL Dar es Salaam: Where Tanzanians flood the streets, old German colonial-style buildings line the ocean front, an old painted ‘Tanganyika Swimming Club’ sign restricts intruders from its long-since popular facilities, where the Kivukoni Ferry shuttles hundreds of passengers and vehicles to and from South Beach several times a day, and where the fish market, the biggest in Dar es Salaam, has been operating for decades.

Here, fishermen in wooden dhow boats bring in their daily catch, once at 7am and again at 10am every morning, selling to restaurants and individual patrons alike. Anything that is caught in the water is up for sale, from tiny sardines, to huge kingfish, to stingray and octopus and squid, to shrimps of all sizes. Fish and crustaceans are hawked for some of the cheapest prices in town within these narrow concrete aisles of the downtown fish market.

Perhaps the most fascinating scenes at the Kivukoni Fish Market, aside from the outrageous species of sea animals that are sold (for food? fodder? who knows.) are the continuous auctions for fresh catch pulled in.

It may be hard for a common bystander to tell exactly what the circular crowd gathered around a low scuffed wooden table is doing. But give it a few moments, and one will quickly be able to pinpoint the main players in any auction: auctioneer, sellers, buyers, and money collectors. Suddenly an old scuffed wooden tabletop is transformed into a platform for exciting possibilities and tension. Much like an art auctioneer at an art sale, the fish auctioneer at Kivukoni calls out bids in monotone drone, starting at a base amount and raising in increments of 500 to 1000 Shillings. His pace is not terribly quick, but it’s slurred and it’s faster than my rudimentary knowledge of Swahili is able to decipher.

On one side of the platform-made-auction table are the sellers, and on the other side, the buyers. These women–and the buyers are almost all women–line the auction table in a seated row, firmly planted on buckets that are later used to carry their purchases home on their heads. They are the meanest-looking, most serious women I have seen in all of Dar es Salaam. Like card sharks around a high-stakes game, they sit entranced, staring from fish to auctioneer to seller and back again at the fish, and occasionally cast a brief scowl towards the likes of any one (me) who distracts this ping-pong vision of theirs. I barely see the minute notions that are given to the auctioneer that indicates bids, but it seems the auctioneer does not miss a beat.

From shrimp, to squid, to giant eel-like fish and tiny sardine-type fish, all creatures of the ocean are presented for auction. If there is a science or logic behind the auctions, I certainly haven’t figured it out. Then again, I’m not about to ask one of these women. I mean, check out the scowl on that one in the front…

Kivukoni Fish Market

Located on Ocean Front Blvd. just before the South Beach Ferry terminal. Entrance is facing the street. Price and availability of seafood vary…especially price. Don’t forget to bargain!

At the market in Zanzibar

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Jessie

How many posts do you think I’ve got now, that are titled “at the market”? Probably a few dozen, at least. The Zanzibari market was bustling, busy, nothing short of thrilling, and unlike the Kariakoo Market in downtown Dar es Salaam, I felt like I could move around without being jostled or hustled too much.

As with most island cultures, fish reigns supreme. We saw only one butcher area – in the back, hidden from most of the front activity. Though, I suppose it’s a combination of this island culture AND Muslim culture, where strict butchering practices MUST be practiced.

The fruits and vegetables here looks ripe, plump, green, colorful, and healthy. Which begs the question, why can’t I seem to find these in Dar…? Also noticeably different was the lack of dust everywhere. At the markets in Dar, a thin blanket of rust-colored dust covers everything – people, animals, baskets, vegetables, shoes, and self. At the market in Zanzibar, they seem to have their dust under control!

Seeing this egg guy reminds me. Guys, our second chicken has finally begun to lay eggs! News of the month, surely.

These next two images were the most fascinating at the market in Zanzibar- set apart from the usual sightings of piled vegetables, rice, and fish. The first were these big drums of milk on carts. Coconut milk or goats milk, I still don’t know, but I’m almost (almost) positive that it can’t be cow’s milk. Poured out of spigots and sold in used plastic bottles, these guys were scattered throughout the strip of vendors.

And then there was this. A mountain of bread, the size and shape of what we know as a pound cake. In case you didn’t know, the DiploMan and I are on the Whole30 diet at the moment (i know, i know, the most inopportune time ever. Tell me about it). So seeing these little golden loaf pyramids were like seeing bars of gold stacked atop one another.

I’m still not quite sure of how bread plays into the diets of the Zanzibarians, but seeing that there were almost as many bread vendors as vegetable vendors, I figure it’s something significant, and I’m dying to find my answer.

So there you have it, a market in Zanzibar. My collection of world markets is becoming quite numerous! To see recaps of my recent South African market experiences, click over to these entries: The Boeremark and The Hazel Street Food Market. Or to view a few other markets all over the world, go HERE.

Bagamoyo >> past, present, future

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Jessie

The importance of Dar es Salaam in East Africa today – with its ports and its new economical growth and the very recent political attention in the eyes of a world powerhouse – this seat was once held by the little sleepy town of Bagamoyo. There’s not much left of this once-imperial Bagamoyo, other than a few massive stone pillars that jut out onto the beach where in my imagination, were pillars that supported a large, bustling, and prosperous port (in a Travel Channel documentary, this would be the cue to cut to the historical re-staging of a large, bustling, African port. Morgan Freeman narrated, of course).

What was once the capital and the seat of government and economic prosperity for East Africa when Germany had rule over the region, the capital was moved away in 1891 to Dar es Salaam. (And then consequently in the 70’s, to Dodoma – although people often forget this little fact about Tanzania, that Dar is not the capital). But enough with history. It is with this little tidbit of information, as well as an email chock full of recommendations, that the DiploMan and I decided to make a trip to Bagamoyo. Just 75km outside of Dar es Salaam, it was a manageable distance from this new home of ours.

We decided to spend two nights, which translated into a short 36 hours, in Bagamoyo. Our main purpose was not to check out the food or the ruins or these things that are typical to DiploMan-Peeps travel, but rather it was an excursion with the sole purpose to get out. Well, that, and we also heard the still-unknown dive and snorkeling scene was pretty amazing. Rather than plan a weekend full to the brim of exploring and sightseeing, we figured we’d spend a day getting our feet wet (literally) outside of Dar, and if it went well, we’d schedule another trip to check out the nearby ruins and check out the town itself.

And thus, it is because we had no plans, that we found ourselves with nothing to do but take a stroll down the strip of beach that Friday of our arrival. Here on this strip, we approached a 4pm frenzy of pre-dusk excitement, where fishermen and boatsmen were reeling in the catch and other goods of the day.

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From the boats, men were swimming back and forth to the shore, anchors thrown haphazardly on the banks of the wide beach. Strung tight from the shore, the only thing preventing boats from drifting off to sea were thin, faded homemade ropes. Looking onto the boats, there were clusters of men that stood, scurrying like little ants working together, standing in log-like boats. These boats, seemingly rudimentary in their appearance, were likely quite sustainable, weathered more than usual thanks to the lack of GPS, radar, and other fancy mechanisms.

The catch was loaded directly onto the shore, plopped right onto the sand, where mostly women and a few young men sat, clothes covered in sand, legs splayed out, with a pile of fish in front of them. There they worked, scraping and gutting at the fresh catch – tiny fish the size of a man’s palm. Fish guts and sand everywhere. Back home, in the aisles of Whole Foods, one might scoff as to the bony little filets of fish. But here, a basket of these fish meant life, and sustenance, not only for the family that it ultimately would feed, but for the fishermen and the dock workers and fish cleaners and vendors, all the components who worked together to reel in the catch.

I would have bet my bottom dollar that the mixture of sand, ocean, fish guts, boats, men, and garbage would have called for a nostril full of stench, but the ocean breeze seemed to have wiped away any foul smells. Only a warm, saline breeze lingered in my nose. Slightly up the shore, just 10 meters or so, old boats not fit for sailing were taken apart or upturned and used as platforms to host fishmongers. While indistinguishable to me what separated the salesman from the buyer from the onlooker, it was clear that they all knew where they stood.

It was this chaos, as well as a few good stares, that prevented both the DiploMan and I from approaching too close and from staying put too long. Also, the fact that most of these guys were walking along the beach with shiv-like knives gripped tightly in their fists, making this end of our leisurely beach stroll a little more tense.

As we shimmied back towards our hotel, eventually slowing down to a saunter, I realized that despite its outward appearance as a rural fishing village, Bagamoyo was a busy little city, a city rich in history, with hardy roots tracing back to German colonial rule. In fact I later discovered it was once the main port connecting Africa’s trade to Zanzibar and the European colonies. The tradition of using its waters as a main lifeline was obvious in the lively fishing and shipping culture we witnessed that day.

And perhaps, once again in the future, too. We were later told by the hotel manager that there are plans to build a port in Bagamoyo, to relieve the strain from Dar’s already-congested ports. A little online search confirmed the news. Not just any port, but a massive billion-dollar port. According to wikipedia: “China is investing US$10B to make Bagamoyo the most important port in Africa by 2017”. Yowza.

If you hadn’t known about Bagamoyo before, in ten years’ time, I’m sure you’ll have heard of it.

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How to get there: From Dar es Salaam, drive (or, book a reliable taxi) take Bagamoyo Road until you hit Bagamoyo. Seriously, these were the easiest and most foolproof directions I’ve ever taken.

Where we stayed: New Bagamoyo Beach Resort; as of writing this post, it’s the only resort offering dive and snorkeling trips. Because there aren’t many tourists yet, the coral and marine life is pristine and you feel like you’ve made a discovery all to yourself. But if I may venture a guess, they’ll soon be joined by others. For the two nights we stayed, we also dined at the restaurant under a thatched roof just up the beach. It wasn’t the most adventurous of our trips, but it was fulfilling in its simplicity.

What to do: Bring a book, and relax. If you’re feeling more adventurous, in addition to a day of snorkeling or diving, you can walk into the city center, where remains of the old stonetown are still intact. Or, take a drive just up the road to the Kaole ruins.

For more pictures, click on over to Flickr.

Chinese New Year: A lesson on how to eat a year’s worth of luck

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Jessie

Chinese New Year falls on Sunday, February 10 this year, when we kick off the year of the snake. Snake personalities are known to be acute, cunning, aware, proud, vain, and vicious at times. My mother was a snake, so besides the fact that my teenage years represented an era of nonstop nuclear warfare in our house, I appreciate this cycle of the Chinese Zodiac much more than most.

I’m ready to kick off this lunar year in DC right, then. There are certain foods one must eat during Chinese New Year to bring in luck for the home and the family, and to be frank, for oneself. And though the New Year is a one-day holiday, celebrations often extend for a week before and after – which means a lot of eating potential. While it seems like every single foodstuff has a corresponding symbolic meaning in the Chinese culture , I’ve selected a list of 8 the most symbolic foods to eat over the holiday, where to find some of their best iterations throughout the city, plus why exactly you’ll be eating them in the first place.

Noodles

We here in DC look to cities like LA and NY with ramen envy. So instead of that brothy, porky, noodly combo, let’s stretch our imaginations and parla Italiano for a second. Legend has it that Marco Polo brought the concept of spaghetti to Italy via China, so we’ll play that card here. DC has no shortage of Italian gems, but this year’s standout has got to be Fabio Trabocchi’s Fiola. If you haven’t heard of Fiola yet this year, you’ve got to be living in China or something.

Noodles are a symbol of longevity. The longer, the better. So order up some spaghetti, bucatini, or fettucine on Fiola’s menu, and leave that short stubby orecchiete stuff for another day.

Whole Fish

Thank you Chesapeake Bay, for your abundance of seafood. Thank you for your oysters, your crabs, your whiting and your hake. Thank you for providing the folks here in DC with an orchestra of tasty delights from your waters. Finally, thank you, Farmers Fishers Bakers, for opening this past year and bringing us the most sustainable of your daily catch.

In Chinese, the word for fish is a homanym for abundance, and symbolizes just that. Traditionally fish is served steamed, always whole – representing prosperity for the whole year, from head to tail.

Peaches

It’s winter. Where do you think you’re getting fresh peaches around here? Now’s the time to look for the little sugary fruits baked into pies! Dangerous Pies DC, with it’s rock star mentality and hand made pies, is serving up both sweet and savory desserts as a part of H Street’s growing food scene. If you can’t get out to H Street, don’t fret. – Dangerous Pies is now going mobile, bringing a bit more abundance of goodness to my stomach, and unfortunately, my thighs too.

Peaches are often brought as housewarming gifts, as ancestral offerings, or displayed in the home, symbolic of youth and eternal longevity. China is the number one producer of peaches in the world.

Dumplings

Mmmmm… little packets of meats and veggies wrapped in a thick fluffy dough. Hey now, we may be stretching our imaginations for a bit, but isn’t the empanada, like, the dumpling of South America? Check out DC empanada’s new outpost at Union Market, with a rotating menu ready to please all senses. Favorites include the WMD- Weapon of Mass Deliciousness (Chili and cheese), the The Badass (Buffalo chicken and blue cheese), and the Tio Shawn (black beans, rice, cheese, chipotle). Yes, that last one’s vegetarian, but yes, it’s tasty and a personal favorite.

Traditional dumplings resemble the ancient golden nuggets used as currency in medieval China, and are symbolic for wealth and prosperity. Mo’ dumplings mo’ money (I think this expression just might catch on).

Sweets

That Georgetown Cupcake line don’t lie, we Washingtonians need our sugar fix. Rather that a cupcake though, I’d rather indulge in the cupcake’s daintier little sister, the macaron. This French staple has officially arrived thanks to DC Patisserie. Indulgent enough to pass for a special-holiday treat, plus small enough to pop a few at a time, the macaron is the perfect sweet treat.

Sweet desserts for a sweet year. Though the Chinese don’t often have an abundance of sweets and desserts in their cuisine, the New Year is a time when they roll up their sleeves and pull a few tricks out from their sleeves. Tiny red-wrapper candies are passed out to kids, and cakes and tarts are baked for dinners and parties.

Tangerines and Oranges

To balance out your new diet of empanadas, pies, and macarons, maybe a little something fresh would be appropriate. Thankfully little clementines are the winter darling of the produce world. I’m always searching to get my hands on a little extra Vitamin C in the wintertime, and popping a few of these for an afternoon snack do just the trick. Korean grocer giant H-Mart carries these by the carton, and for cheap. That’s some good fortune for both you and your wallet.

In Chinese, the word tangerine sounds a lot like the word ‘luck’. Additionally, oranges represent abundance. So pairing a bowl of oranges along with tangerines, means you’ll have abundant luck. Even better, the more leaves that are on the tangerines the better – those symbolize life and longevity! You know, in case eating those noodles didn’t do the trick.

Nien Gao

A dessert with dates and beans? Hey, I warned you earlier, the Chinese don’t really do sweets and desserts. But actually the floating red dates and sweet red beans suspended in glutinous rice flour is actually…well, quite good. You know who does glutinous rice and sweet red bean paste better than the Chinese, though? The Japanese, and their mochi (though, I might be starting WWIII with this statement). Tiny little Hana Market, tucked on a corner of U street adjacent to a fire station, is one of the only authentic Asian markets in the district, and a good one at that. Stocked from floor to ceiling with hundreds of varieties of Japanese goods, you can find mochi in their refrigerated cases.

Nien Gao is another homonym for good luck – actually meaning “sticky cake”, it can also mean ‘high year’. All over china and beyond, Chinese eat this dessert for the new year to bring a tall order of good fortune in the new year. I personally eat it with high hopes that in the future, I won’t find the Chinese language so damn confusing.

Stir Fry with 10 Vegetables

Both my parents reminisce of their childhood New Year dinners, when there was always a big plate of 10-vegetable stir fry on the table. Every Year. My mom fondly recalls her father meticulously chopping vegetables the whole day into paper-thin slices, specifically for this dish. Traditionally made with ingredients such as pickled mustard greens, lotus root, fresh bamboo, bean sprouts, and shiitake mushrooms, it’s a light respite that is welcome during feasts of rich seafood and meat. For this one, I say visit a local DC farmers market to pick out the 10 best ingredients, and make your own seasonal, lucky stir fry. Onions, cabbage, parsnips, celery, tofu, bean sprouts, parsley, leeks, mushrooms, and carrots sounds like a great wintery combo to me. To the farmers market I go!

The number 10 represents completeness, and having 10 vegetables serves a purpose of being fulfilled in family and life. Plus this one hits close to home, which is good a reason as any to eat a dish.

So there you have it: Eight foods you should be eating these next few weeks, and where you’ll find their best versions in DC. And oh yeah, eight is very lucky in the Chinese culture, because it sounds like the Chinese word for “prosperity” or “wealth”. So yeah, it’s confirmed that we Chinese are pretty superstitious mofo’s looking for luck everywhere we can.

Street food: win.

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Jessie

Street food here is wayyyy better than in the States. Because it’s cheap, it’s simple, and it doesn’t come from a truck painted with all sorts of psychedelic colors.

Peeps From Abroad

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