For centuries Zanzibar was the most important spice trading centre in the Indian Ocean. Arab traders, Indian merchants, Portuguese explorers and eventually British colonisers all came to Zanzibar for one primary reason — spices. The island earned the title Spice Island and that name still resonates today in every market, kitchen and garden across Zanzibar.
The History of Zanzibar's Spice Trade
The Omani Sultan Seyyid Said moved his court from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1840, recognising the island's extraordinary potential. Under his rule Zanzibar became the world's largest producer of cloves — at one point supplying 90% of the world's clove production. The wealth generated by spices and the slave trade that supported the spice plantations transformed Zanzibar into one of the most prosperous places in East Africa.
The spice trade shaped everything — Stone Town's architecture, the cultural mix of the population, the cuisine, the language. Understanding Zanzibar's spices is understanding Zanzibar itself.
The Key Zanzibar Spices
Cloves The most important spice in Zanzibar's history. The dried flower buds of the clove tree have been cultivated here for over two centuries. Walk through the interior of Zanzibar and you will smell cloves in the air. They are used in Zanzibar cooking, as a traditional medicine, in the production of clove cigarettes (kretek) exported to Indonesia and as a preservative in food.
Cinnamon True cinnamon — Ceylon cinnamon — grows in Zanzibar and is far superior to the cassia cinnamon found in supermarkets in Europe. The bark of the cinnamon tree is harvested, dried and rolled into the familiar cinnamon sticks. The aroma in a cinnamon grove is extraordinary.
Vanilla Zanzibar vanilla is among the finest in the world — rich, creamy and intensely aromatic. The vanilla orchid requires hand pollination as the native bee that normally pollinates it does not exist in Zanzibar. Each flower opens for only one day making vanilla cultivation enormously labour intensive.
Cardamom Green cardamom grown in Zanzibar's humid conditions is exceptional. Used extensively in Zanzibari chai tea, biriani rice and sweet dishes, cardamom is one of the most evocative aromas of the island.
Nutmeg and Mace The nutmeg tree produces two spices — the nutmeg seed and mace, which is the red lacy covering of the seed. Both grow extensively in Zanzibar and are used in cooking and traditional medicine.
Black Pepper and Turmeric Both grow well in Zanzibar's conditions and feature heavily in the local cuisine — particularly in the extraordinary pilau rice and the various curries that reflect the island's Indian influence.
What is a Zanzibar Spice Tour?
A Zanzibar Spice Tour takes you to a working spice farm in the fertile interior of the island — away from the beaches and tourist areas. Your guide introduces you to the living plants that produce the spices, explains the history of each one and allows you to taste, touch and smell everything directly from the source.
You will see cinnamon bark peeled from a tree, taste vanilla pods before they are dried, smell fresh cloves and learn to identify a dozen different spices in their natural form. For most visitors it is a completely transformative experience — you will never look at a spice rack the same way again.
A traditional Zanzibari lunch using freshly harvested spices is typically included — demonstrating the farm-to-table journey in the most delicious way possible.
Buying Zanzibar Spices
The best place to buy authentic Zanzibar spices is directly from the spice farms or from the central market in Stone Town. Avoid tourist shops near the ferry terminal where prices are inflated and quality is inconsistent.
Our HuShop store in Paje also stocks a carefully selected range of authentic Zanzibar spices — an ideal souvenir to take home.
Book our Spice Tour and experience the living history of the Spice Island. Contact our team on WhatsApp at +255 688 686 983.
HuShop Team
Paje, Zanzibar · Travel writers & local experts