Don’t we all miss traveling now that quarantine has been extended for yet another month? Fortunately, a slew of home-grown food businesses has taken our taste buds around the world, with offerings of international dishes familiar and new. Food from Asia, Europe and the Americas have been well represented—even pre-pandemic—but what about Africa?
To many of us African cuisine is a mystery. Although it’s incorrect to lump an entire continent made up of around 54 countries and different cultures together, it just goes to show how much we don’t know about it. The globalization of African food has yet to reach our shores—until now.
Mapishi is an Instagram food business that specializes in Swahili cuisine. Their claim to fame is that they’re the only place that serves authentic Tanzanian food in the country. If you google “Tanzanian food Manila” or “African food Philippines,” odds are that their claim to fame is the real deal because nothing of note pops out.
The man behind the food is Samson Semwenda, an IT director and professor turned online cook. After the pandemic hit, he and his wife Faith decided to pursue their dreams of serving authentic Swahili cuisine to the general public.
Mapishi serves East African staples like biryani, a meat and rice dish; pilau, a spiced rice dish served with meat, mishkaki, grilled marinated meat skewers, and chapati, a layered and flaky flatbread.
Swahili cuisine is influenced by Middle Eastern and Indian flavors, which explains the similarities between their dishes.
The stars of their menu are undoubtedly their biryani and pilau dishes. They serve five different varieties of biryani—chicken (P150), beef (P200), vegetable (P130), seafood (P180) and lamb (P300). The lamb biryani is available only on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so phone ahead to secure a plate.
Pilau is a spiced rice dish that’s usually associated with celebrations and festivals. The Mapishi version is made with tropical spices and served with a kachumbari salad, a side made with diced tomatoes and onion. They also serve another Swahili staple called maharage, a dish made from red kidney beans cooked with coconut milk, which is a common ingredient in Swahili cuisine.
If you want to try out these dishes yourself, you can place your orders through Mapishi’s Facebook page or send them a message at 0995-0264719.
Header image courtesy of Mapishi Facebook
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