Malagasy Food

I get asked about Malagasy food a lot but to be honest — and I say this with the utmost respect towards Malagasy culture (after all, I sort of grew up with it) — the cuisine of Madagascar is probably not the main reason people visit the country. Other countries have a lot more to offer in that area.

In a typical restaurant for tourists, you will find all kinds of meat (poultry, porc, or zebu beef) or fish, prepared in various ways (fried, grilled, cooked), with a variety of side orders (fries, rice, fried potatoes, fried vegetables), and some restaurants prepare these very well. In addition, most menus will list Chinese dishes such as won ton soup, rice noodle soup, egg fried rice, and “mine sao” (fried noodles with vegetables). You will not get hungry.

But the traditional Malagasy food is different. Obviously, a lot of rice is eaten. And meat (often fatty porc) is usually cooked for a long time. Here are some examples as well as pictures of street food, rhum, and markets where the food is sold.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for recipes of traditional Malagasy dishes.

Recipes

Unfortunately, the defining ingredients of these traditional Malagasy dishes are often not available in Western countries, at least not fresh (which they should be). Nonetheless, to get an idea of how they are made, here are some recipes.

Ravitoto sy hena kisoa (manioc leaves with porc)

Serves 5 people

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cm ginger root
• 1 onion
• 1/2 kg ground manioc leaves
• 300g porc (the more fat, the better)
• Oil (to fry)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt

1. Chop garlic, onion, and ginger into small pieces.
2. Fry in the (not too hot) oil.
3. Add the porc and fry until the sides are brown.
4. Add the manioc leaves and stir.
5. Add the water and simmer for 45 minutes on low heat.
6. Add the sugar and season with salt to taste.
7. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Lasary voatabia (tomato and onion salad)

• 4 large tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Sunflower oil
• Chives
• Salt

1. Slice the tomatoes into small 1/2 cm pieces
2. Chop the onion finely
3. Mix all ingredients together.
4. Season with salt and chives to taste.
5. Optionally add cilantro.

Voanjobory sy hena kisoa (Bambara beans with porc)

Serves 5 people

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cm ginger root
• 1 onion
• 500g bambara beans
• 300g porc (the more fat, the better)
• Oil (to fry)
• 1 cup of water
• Salt

1. Chop garlic, onion, and ginger into small pieces.
2. Fry in the (not too hot) oil.
3. Add the bambara beans and fry.
4. After 5 minutes, add the porc and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the water and simmer for one hour on low heat.
6. Season with salt to taste.

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