Comoros Travel Tips - Comoros Travel Guide

Comorians eat mostly imported rice, usually with a fish or meat sauce. Plentiful local fish (tuna, barracuda, wahoo, and red snapper) are the main source of protein. Cassava is eaten fried, boiled, or grilled. Taro, green bananas, breadfruit, and potatoes (both white and sweet) are often served. Chicken, goat, and imported beef are popular meats. Pork is forbidden by Islam. Comorians spice their foods with putu, a hot pepper sauce. Bread is common, and fruits such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, papayas, mangoes, passion fruit, and litchi are plentiful in season. Coconut is used in some sauces. Urban markets sell tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and green beans. Indigenous spices include cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and cardamom. Water, tea, and fruit juice are drunk with meals.

Most Comorians who eat breakfast usually have cold leftovers along with hot, sweet tea. The afternoon meal includes a sauce-covered starchy food such as cassava or green bananas, and some meat. Dinner, which usually includes a rice dish, is the main meal.

Affluent families in urban areas eat at a table. Otherwise, families eat sitting cross-legged on a mat around several communal plates of food. In rural areas, women usually eat separately from men, especially if guests are present. Only guests who are very close friends eat with the family.

Comorians wash their hands in a bowl of water before and after eating. For large gatherings, food is served buffet-style and guests stand and take food from many different plates. No one eats until a short blessing has been offered.

While some urban men eat at restaurants when they cannot get home for lunch, most Comorians (especially in rural areas) consider eating out embarrassing—it implies the person is poorly fed at home, has no family, or has marital problems.

Holidays and Celebration:
National holidays include New Year’s Day (1 January), the Lunar New Year, Labor Day (1 May), and Independence Day (6 July). Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar, so the dates vary each year. During the month of Ramadan, the people fast from dawn to dusk, but the nights are filled with activity and eating. At the end of the month is the holiest day, Id-al-Fitr, which Comorians celebrate by visiting, exchanging gifts, and having feasts. Forty days later, Id-al-Adha honors Abraham for his willingness to sacrifice his son. Comorians celebrate Muhammad’s birth for a month, and Maulid, his actual birthday, is a national holiday.

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