Spice · 24 January 2026 · 3 min read
What Spices Is Zanzibar Famous For?
Zanzibar is often called a spice island, and the shorthand is fair. Here are the spices you will meet most often, and what to do with them once you are home.
Cloves
The island's signature. Sweet, warm and powerfully aromatic — three or four whole cloves are enough to perfume a pot of rice or a braise. Cloves are also the backbone of pilau masala.
Cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg
Cinnamon adds mellow sweetness to both rice and coffee. Cardamom is the perfumed note in Zanzibari chai. Nutmeg, grated fresh, transforms greens, sauces and anything made with cream or milk.
Pepper, turmeric and vanilla
Black pepper grows on the same smallholder farms as cloves. Turmeric gives colour and earthiness to curries and rice. Vanilla, hand-cured over weeks, is the island's most labour-intensive crop.
The blends
Pilau masala, curry blends and chai spice are where Zanzibari cooking really lives. If you buy one thing, buy a blend — it is the fastest route to cooking the island at home.
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