The Forodhani Gardens (also known as Jubilee Gardens and more recently as Forodhani Park)[1] are a small park of the historical city of Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The gardens are located along the main seawalk of Stone Town, just in front of the most famous buildings of Stone Town, i.e., the House of Wonders and the Old Fort.
The Gardens are especially crowded after sunset, when tourists and local alike gather in a popular food street market in the main square, to have dinner eating Swahili and Zanzibari cuisine delicacies such as grilled seafood, samoosas, cassava and sweet potatoes.
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On July 31, 2009, a ground-breaking ceremony was held by the Aga Khan to introduce a revitalized park. It was rehabilitated by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) at a cost of $3 million (Sh3.9 billion) from the initial estimates of $2.4 million (over Sh3 billion). The facelift involved the restoration of walkways, landscape, infrastructure upgrading, incorporating lighting, sewerage drainage and civic amenities, and the rehabilitation of the seawall fronting the park.
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Zanzibar Pizza is everywhere in Forodhani Gardens’ night market. I am not sure why it is called a pizza. It doesn’t quit look like one, nor does it much taste like one either. Don’t get me wrong, it is DELICIOUS, …I’m just confused as to how it is associated with pizza.
Each evening as the sun sets, Stone Town’s Forodhani Park transforms into an open-air food market. Skip the fish kebabs and head straight to the vendors selling urojo, a thick mango and tamarind soup served alongside chickpea fritters, boiled potatoes, cassava flakes, chutney, and as much hot sauce as you dare. Follow it up with hand-pressed sugar cane juice with ginger and lime.
A feast of enormous octopus tentacles, colossal lobster claws, and gaping fish are laid out on table after table every night in Stone Town's Forodhani Gardens. The names and origins of less recognizable treats, smashed together in generous portions on kebab sticks, will be (very) eagerly explained to you by the vendors at each table.
A kebab of tandoori lobster accompanied by fresh-pressed sugarcane juice is a quintessential treat, but if you feel iffy about sampling the seafood on the tables, there are alternatives: grilled sweet potatoes, savory bananas, and puffy coconut bread complete the Swahili suite of tastes. Negotiate your price and wait for the vendor to heat up your choice on an open fire stove in the middle of the gardens.
