My solo travel in Africa
24/06/2020
Vegan food in Africa
The post was updated in summer 2023.
Well look, African food isn't some Instagram star, but I promise in advance that it's delicious :)
The African continent is, in my opinion, one of the easiest places for vegans, especially those who are not spoiled and are able to eat the same dish over and over againת day after day (like me).
You won't find dairy products for the most part, and in small villages you won't find meat either. In other words, there is a chance that a goat will be slaughtered next to you, for example, or at least you will encounter the goat situation after the slaughter.
I usually ran away in such cases and ignored the reality before and that helped me cope with the situation as a vegan.
Africans often raise their own animals, so you'll see goats, chickens and cows everywhere, even with you on the bus, or on the roof above the taxi you share with the locals.
Quite a few times I found myself sitting next to a goat or chicken on the road and usually ended up comforting them through the hard journey.
In the next post you will hear about what it is like to be vegan in a place like Africa, what are the options for vegan food on the African continent, what you should watch out for and how to travel on the continent without harming animals.
Vegan food in Ethiopia
Ethiopia in my eyes is one of the easiest places for vegans (but less so for spicy sufferers, like me).
The land of injera and shiro (chickpea sauce mixed with all kinds of spices, often spicy) provides some of the most special vegan dishes.
You can always get your Injera with a variety of completely vegan dishes such as lentil dishes, potatoes, salads and so on.
It is very tasty! And if you haven't gotten used to the taste of Injera yet and want to try, there are some excellent Ethiopian restaurants around the world that can provide you with an authentic experience.
You should know that twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, Ethiopians have a special fast in which they abstain from eating meat and dairy products.
This means that in every restaurant you go to, you can choose a dish from their fasting menu.
In general, the main cities in Ethiopia are full of Western restaurants and you will have no trouble finding a vegan dish.
In the remote villages you'll probably encounter mostly Injera with Shiro, because that's what is served there, and you're all set here too.
Must-try foods:
Injera - Of course, it is impossible to be in Ethiopia without eating injera with shiro.
Avocado Smoothie - They love it there, about squeezing an avocado and making it liquid and sweet.
Beer – Beer is food to go with any meal, and luckily also vegan. In Ethiopia, beers taste better and are more common than water. I really liked their Saint Paul beer.
Places to visit:
The Four Sisters Restaurant - There's no way you can go to Ethiopia without popping into this restaurant. To me this is the most delicious place in the world. Go and thank me afterwords.
Link to the restaurant's website >>
Dashen Brewery - As of 2023, the brewery has closed, but still recommends tasting the beer. This is what I've written about in the past: In the city of Gondar hides a nice brewery that serves a lot of draft beer and at prices that will make you cry with joy. There is some vegan food there, but let's just say we didn't visit there to eat :)
Injera Celebration
Vegan food in Uganda
So I'll start by noting that Uganda, due to its location and tropical climate, is the ideal place to eat a lot of delicious fruits, and ensures that you won't get hungry for a moment.
Starting with pineapples, passion fruit (the tastiest I've ever eaten), mangoes, bananas, avocados, and what not - really, plenty!
Chapati (from a malawah-like block of dough) can be found on almost every corner. Spread avocados on top and you're all set :)
For me, the main problem in Uganda was a dish called Rolex, and I just couldn't resist the temptation and had to try.
Rolex is a non-vegan dish and is a combination of chapati, with scrambled egg, onion and tomato. After frying all these ingredients together, sprinkle a little salt on top and roll like a tortilla.
You can drown the dish and instead of an egg, make an omelet made from lentil flour, combine together and roll (and it looks really tasty!) - 
וככה זה נראה :)Alina :)'s Vegan Rolex
Must-try foods:
G-nuts - a legendary peanut sauce that should be drizzled over a bowl of rice. One day I'll write a song of praise for G-nuts because this thing tastes so good.
[Note from Malcolm: Avia will hide her stash of G-nuts in the freezer, and make it in secret so she doesn't have to share. That's how much she loves this dish. If you ever to to Uganda, bring back some G-Nuts for her and you'll have a lifetime friend]
Sugar cane – You can buy on the street, in villages, or simply pick it around lakes, but sugar cane is one of the best things you can find along the way.
Sweet - a vegan dish made from unripe bananas, with sauce and usually a few more vegetables. The taste is nice, depending on where you eat, but definitely worth trying.
Chapati – a type of bread similar to naan, that you can find at any stall along the way.
Places to visit:
Local Restaurants - When I traveled in Uganda I only ate at small local restaurants. That's where it's most delicious and you'll always find a vegan dish of G-nuts or bean rice.
Chapati stalls – To calm your hunger on the road, stop at the stalls and take chapati with you.
Breakfast is prepared - chaptai, salad and tahini.
Vegan food in Rwanda
Rwanda is similar in climate to Uganda, so you are likely to encounter raw materials very similar to what you will find in Uganda. There, too, you can find plenty of delicious fruits and vegetables.
Although Rwandan cuisine is influenced quite a bit by Ugandan, G-nuts sauce is not everywhere there.
An interesting phenomenon in Rwanda is that many restaurants serve with a buffet style, which allows you to often choose from a wide variety of dishes and you will always find completely vegan dishes.
Must-try foods:
Banana bread - In Rwanda you can find many small stalls that serve very nice banana bread. Spread avocado on it, some salt and you're all set.
Places to visit:
African Bites – At the heart of Kigali's hostel neighborhood, lies one of the best restaurants I've enjoyed, on the continent. There are G-nuts and so many other delicious and worthwhile dishes - not to be missed!
To the restaurant page at Happy Cow >>
Meze Fresh – The most excellent Mexican restaurant in Kigali. There are quite a few vegan options including tortillas full of goodies, salads, nachos and more.
The legendary G-nuts sauce at the African Bait restaurant in Kigali
Vegan food in Tanzania
Tanzania also provides plenty of good and tasty fruits and vegetables everywhere. The avocado is highly recommended!
In every local restaurant, even the smallest, you can find a dish of rice with beans.
French fries can also be found almost everywhere.
Here too the chapati dominates, and you can find it in lots of places, spread some avocado on top, add vegetables and eat.
Must-try foods:
Samosa - In many places you can find samosa stuffed with potatoes. Very tasty!
Mboga – from green vegetables that Tanzanians steam/fry - this is a very common side dish. It's worth tasting, I really liked it. Goes perfectly alongside rice and beans.
Mendzi - from a lightly sweet doughnut that you can find in everywhere. Great dessert when you want something sweet.
Tanzanian tea is a particular favorite of mine. It is excessively sweet, full of ginger, and was an integral part of my breakfasts in Tanzania. I can't count how many mornings I had drinking this delicious tea while sweating to death :)
Places to visit:
Local restaurants – I don't have a specific one to point to, but eating at the local restaurants is an integral part of the Tanzania experience.
Rice with beans and mbuga :)
Vegan food in Malawi
Malawi is absolutely the country of chip stands. Almost everywhere, you can find a chip stand with a really interesting design, in which the potatoes are fried over burning coals.
You get the fries in a plastic bag with salt and a small cabbage salad (a concept only Malawi can invent).
If you're more into staying healthy, Malawi also offers a lot of East African cuisine, such as rice, beans, mboga and more.
The hardest thing for vegans in Malawi (and not just for vegans), is absolutely the smell of fish everywhere that you just can't get away from.
They like their little fish there, and they dry them in the sun for hours and eat as a snack or prepare local dishes with them.
Something nice about Malawi is that it's full of Rastafarians, who as we know advocate veganism, so even cookies with surprises can be found there in a vegan version :)
Must-try foods:
French fries – I mean, it's just french fries, but you must buy at least once at their special chip stands. Just watch out for the burning embers!
Places to visit:
Nameless local restaurant – In the town of Nkata Bay there is a small restaurant really close to the port from where you take a ferry to Licoma Island. I don't remember the name, but the building is painted blue and white.
Anyway, that's where they serve the most delicious bean rice on the continent, guaranteed! Try to find it :)
Mushroom Farm - A cute and special ecological hostel in the mountains of the Livingstone area, where you can enjoy lots of vegan and raw dishes, and of course play with the pet pig of the place - Howard. (He likes a good belly rub.) Let me know if he's still alive.
Malawi's delicious fries stalls
Vegan food in Zambia
When I traveled in Africa, the closer I got to the countries in the south of the continent, the more I felt that many of my culinary choices were changing.
Zambia was precisely the place where you really notice this change.
I found that a lot of the local food in the local restaurants of East Africa was less ideal, prices in restaurants were going up, and I consumed most of my food in supermarkets around the country.
A lot of these supermarkets offer hot meals, lots of them completely vegan, my favorite of all was Spar.
Spar branches can be found in many places in Zambia, and the hot food served there is especially tasty.
Must-try foods:
Spar Rice and Beans - They serverice and beans quite different from what you'll taste in the rest of the continent, with spices reminiscent of quite a bit of Yemenite food. I absolutely loved it.
Spar G-nuts – While it's not exactly Uganda's famous peanut sauce, it's definitely delicious and a temporary respite for G-nuts addicts like me. There they probably add spinach leaves to the sauce, which gives it a slightly different, but still very tasty texture.
Don't forget to visit SPAR
Vegan food in Botswana
Already in Botswana I started my regular procedure, which is simply to buy raw materials at the supermarket and cook independently.
Restaurants in this part of Africa are already less local and authentic, and sometimes expensive, so most of the time I cooked independently or bought prepared food at supermarkets.
A lot of hostels also offer fully equipped kitchens so you can cook independently really easily.
Once every few days in the procedure, Tzlil and I would pop into the nearest supermarket and shop. It was part of the schedule and we even really liked that part of our trip.
In the supermarkets in Botswana you can find everything from everything just like in Israel and other Western places in the world.
Recommended authors:
- Spar: In Botswana you will also find Spar branches in many places.
- Pick n Pay: If you are in the area of the city of Gaboron you will find quite a few branches of this supermarket.
Some of the cooking that went in Botswana. To this day we are looking for the recipe.
Vegan food in Namibia
In Namibia, you'll probably be traveling with your own car , so in this case you really have nothing to fear.
Most of your shopping will naturally be done mainly at the supermarket, both for reasons of savings, and also because most of the time you will sleep in campsites around the country and cook independently.
Many campsites will have a small stone kitchenette where you can cook, in some you may find a fully equipped kitchen, and in some you will just light a fire and cook on the fire.
Since you're with a car, there's no reason why you shouldn't stock up on plenty of food to go.
Each car rental company will offer you fully equipped camping equipment from A to Z. Starting with pots, pans, cutlery set, huge gas balloon, table and chairs, literally everything.
In this situation, wherever you go (even if it's wild camping on the way), you can cook.
In addition, if you wish, you can also rent a small refrigerator that will sit inside the car (we had a simple cooler).
Most of the raw products I purchased were dry products such as vegetables, rice, pasta, lentils, cookies, etc. But I totally indulged quite a bit on bottles of natural juice I found, fruits that require refrigeration and even Alfaro soy delicacies!
In Namibia, too, the supermarkets are full of plenty of food, which will make it feel like you're in a first-world country (until you stand in line next to a Himba woman and remember you're in Africa :))
Vegan Cooking in Namibia
Other vegan food in Africa
Apart from everything I mentioned, Africa offers a lot of other completely vegan foods that are hard for me to put in the recommended ones, but they exist so I will mention them.
Ugali – also known as Millip in South Africa or Pushu in Uganda.
Ugali is a white pulp made from cornmeal that is very common throughout Africa.
You eat the paste with your hands and dip it in the sauce served next to you (usually fish sauce but not necessarily).
I personally didn't connect with the concept, and I had a very bad experience with this thing that haunts me to this day.
In any case, there's no way you're leaving the continent without tasting it :) Good luck..!
Cassava - a potato-like root vegetable that is also very common throughout the continent (from east to west).
The cassava is cooked (although I've seen Africans eat it raw) and will usually be served to you alongside traditional African dishes.
It's worth a taste, but like the ugali, I didn't connect with this one as much.
Porridge is a strange sparse porridge paste that Africans really like (especially to eat in the morning).
I haven't really figured out yet whether you drink it or just eat with a spoon, but it's most common in the east of the continent, and it's sure to pop up again from time to time in other places.
Last Words
Writing this post made me hungry and made me yearn for the foods of this continent.
Africa is so diverse and you will encounter a lot of foods that will be hard for you to give up after that.
[Another note from Malcolm: Please get this girl some more G-nuts!]
Try things, wander the market, eat at local restaurants and taste the local beers.
If my content helps you during your travels, I would love for you to help me continue to grow and create more content. The most wonderful way, apart from continuing to visit my blog and use my links, is to follow me on Instagram..!
You can find a link to my Instagram page here >>
Thank you so much for the support and wish you an amazing trip around this truly unique continent :)
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For this post, I was helped by quite a few good travelers, because I'm not very good at remembering to photograph food (but really good at eating!).
Main photo and many of the food photos were taken by Tzlil, the Injera celebration was taken by dear Hadas and Ziv, the vendor at the chip stand was taken by travelers in Malawi and the rest were taken by me.
Thank you to everyone who helped and sent me photos to use, this post was launched thanks to you!
