Like everything else about Madagascar the national cuisine is an adventure of discovery inspired by warm spices, fresh seafood and ripe, local fruits and vegetables.
The vibrant mix of flavours seen in Madagascan cuisine
An exotic mix of influences from France, Africa and Asia combine to create a completely unique cuisine of stews, curries and soups infused by rich flavours of locally grown cloves, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, chillies and garlic.
Around the coast seafood plays a major part in the local cuisine while inland zebu, meat from the local Madagascan cattle, chicken and pork are more common. Rice (known locally as vary) is served with almost every dish.
Spice it up
Madagascans like their food spicy and often add a splash of sakay (a blisteringly hot local pepper sauce) to whatever they’re eating.
The national dish is Ramazava, a meat stew usually including zebu and flavoured by ginger, garlic, tomato and onion. Other local favourites include Lasopy, a rich vegetable soup flavoured by veal bones, and salady voankazo a sweet desert made from local seasonal fruit served in a sweet vanilla-infused syrup.
Locally sourced seafood at Constance Tsarabanjina
The food of Tsarabanjina
At Constance Tsarabanjina seafood is delivered to the island daily by local fishermen and prepared by our chefs in traditional Madagascan style. Almost all our food is locally sourced from small-scale farmers, local fishermen and nearby markets.
Read more
- Discover more about Constance Tsarabanjina
- Read more about travelling in this unique country in our Ultimate Madagascar travel guide
- Find out more about our partnership with local fishermen at Constance Tsarabanjina
- Check out 5 unusual foods of Madagascar
- Discover Magnificent Madagascar with Ra D’Arcy Clark.