The Jambo Spice Farm @ Zanzibar

From our lovely Fumba Beach Lodge @ Zanzibar we went on a tour to visit one of the spice farms. As nearly every tourist visits a spice farm, this is a well orchestrated event, where a guide shows you around while another one is busy braiding a crown, ring and necklace for mama, a hat and cravat for papa. But it was very interesting to see all the plants, which produce the spices we use every day.

A fruit which reminded us of an apricot ….
… held a nutmeg inside
Jackfruit tree full of giant fruits
Cacao fruit
Green vanilla pods
Pepper
Our guide

There are many different kind of bananas growing here: small ones, red ones, big ones only used for cooking.

Star fruit
Papaya – delicious and sweet
Zanzibar orange
Lipstick fruit
The seeds give an intensive colour …
… used as lipstick and against acne

We also got to watch a guy climbing a palm tree just with a rope between his feet. He was singing while climbing up and down like a monkey, bringing us 2 coconuts. We got to drink the water from inside and eat the soft flesh.

As the spice farm belongs to a local community, we also came past a kitchen, where some food was prepared. Some “spinach” leaves were cut, and a curry with all the spices of Zanzibar, was boiling.

Most of the spices which are grown here are not indigenous, but come mostly from India. Even as this farm visit was a tourist spectacle, we found it very interesting and had learned a lot. We could try some of the fruits and of course buy spices and other products at the end of the tour. Nice to know, where the things come from we use for cooking.

We will next visit Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar, where once the Sultans of Oman had their residence. More next ->

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