Malagasy Cuisine

Malagasy cuisine reflects the island's unique blend of African, Southeast Asian, Indian, Arab and French influences, all built around rice, the beloved staple eaten in great quantities at nearly every meal. The classic dish is a mound of rice served with a flavourful accompaniment, or laoka, such as romazava, a herb-and-beef stew, or ravitoto, pork with cassava leaves, alongside grilled zebu, the humped cattle central to Malagasy life, fresh seafood on the coasts, and an abundance of tropical fruit, all often enlivened with the fiery relish sakay.

The main sights

• Rice and laoka - the staple rice with its meat or vegetable accompaniment.
• Romazava and ravitoto - the classic beef and pork-and-cassava stews.
• Zebu beef - the grilled meat of the humped Malagasy cattle.
• The seafood and fruit - the coastal seafood and tropical fruit.

When to go

Year-round; the humble hotely eateries and markets serve authentic, home-style food, and the coasts, especially the islands, offer fresh seafood. Rice is central to every meal, and the French colonial legacy also brings good bread, pastries and vanilla.

Practical notes

Malagasy food is simple, rice-heavy and hearty rather than richly spiced or varied, so its appeal is honest, fresh home cooking, the excellent zebu beef and seafood, and the French-influenced bread and vanilla rather than culinary complexity; the fiery sakay relish adds the heat. Street and hotely food is cheap, though take the usual care with water and salads. The vanilla, of which Madagascar is the world's top producer, is superb.

Nearby

Antananarivo and every town have their hotely eateries; the coasts for seafood.