malagasy food

The best Malagasy dish you will not find elsewhere

Madagascar is also a destination for gourmands. It offers different dishes with unique tastes. Here are 10 of the best meals we have chosen, which you must try if you go there.

Madagascar is also a destination for gourmands. It offers different dishes with unique tastes. Here are 10 of the best meals we have chosen, which you must try if you go there.

1-    Ravitoto sy Henakisoa

The “henakisoa sy ravitoto” is translated as pork with cassava leaves is a Malagasy specialty. As the name suggests is composed of pork (henakisoa) and chopped manioc leaves (ravitoto). This is served with rice and tomato “rougail” or achard. Mets is very appetizing and has an exceptional taste.

2-    Romazava

The “Romazava” is a traditional Malagasy dish that is a kind of “pot au feu” whose vegetables are only leafy vegetables. Nevertheless, there are different ways to prepare this dish, which varies from north to south of Madagascar.

3-    “Hen’omby ritra” or braised meat

The “Hen’omby ritra” is one of the favorite dishes of Malagasy. The meat used is zebu meat. One of the special features of this dish is that all the water evaporates and the meat is very dry. In addition, the sauce, which results from the addition of a little tomato, is so reduced that it is also very dry. This braised beef dish is not eaten alone but accompanied by white rice, one of Madagascar’s staple foods and rougail.

4-    Tsaramaso sy Henakisoa

This dish is one of the favorite of Malagasy men. They like beans and other edible peas in Mada and if the hostess or the manager of a “gargotte” (small restaurant) offers them two or three “laoka” whose henakisoa sy tsaramaso, it is almost certain, they will choose this one. So basically, the “tsaramaso sy henakisoa” is composed by pork with white beans.

5-    Coconut chicken

It is said that the coconut chicken is of Tamil origin, India and Sri Lanka; we find this nomadic recipe on the islands and in Indonesia. The island around Madagascar, like Reunion, also prepares this dish and, as Madagascar is a bit of Indonesian origin, they also adapted the recipe but in their own way.

It is composed by chicken thighs, coconut milk cashew nut, powdered curry and obviously garlic, salt and pepper.

6-    Tilapia sauce

Tilapia sauce is a fish cooked in a sauce made from tomatoes, watercress, onions, garlic, ginger and other herbs and flavors. The resulting fish is tender and the aromas perfect.

7-    Koba

“Koba” is a very popular dessert of Malagasy. It consists of a mixture of rice flour and crushed peanuts. It is very succulent but of course very caloric as well, such as all good desserts. The “Koba is wrapped in banana leaves, the “koba’dravina” can be tasted at any time and in Madagascar, it is the favorite snack of all.

In addition to them, the Malagasy prepare many other tasty dishes and sometimes tend to adapt Western cuisine to theirs, but those listed are the best we have chosen to show you. You can go to Madagascar when you want to taste them and see for yourself how delicious they are. You can have these dishes in any restaurant in Madagascar. So, Bon appétit !!!