Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Comoros recipes, part of East Africa. This page provides links to all the Comorian recipes presented on this site, with 30 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Indian recipes added to this site.

Comoros (Arabic: جزر القمر, Ğuzur al-Qamar); officially: Union des Comores; Udzima wa Komori; الإتّحاد القمريّ‎; Al-Ittiḥād Al-Qumriyy; Union of the Comoros is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. The country consists of the four islands in the volcanic Comoros archipelago: Ngazidja (French: Grande Comore), Mwali (French: Mohéli), Nzwani (French: Anjouan), and Mahoré (French: Mayotte). Independence from France was achieved on July 6, 1975 and the capital (and largest city) is Moroni. With fewer than a million people, the Comoros is one of the least populous countries in the world, but is also one of the most densely populated, with an average of 275 people per km². The islands of the Comoros share mostly African-Arab origins. Sunni Islam is the dominant religion, representing as much as 98% of the population. Although Arab culture is firmly established throughout the archipelago, a minority of the citizens of Mayotte (the Mahorais) are Roman Catholic and have been strongly influenced by French culture. Malagasy and Indian minorities also exist, as well as Creole-speaking minorities mostly descended from Réunionnaise. Chinese peoples are also present on Mayotte and parts of Grande Comore (especially Moroni). The most common language is Comorian, or Shikomor, a descendant of Swahili with Arabic influences. Shingazidja, Shimwali, Shinzwani, and Shimaore are the local dialects spoken on each of the islands, Ngazidja, Mwali, Nzwani, and Mahoré, respectively. French and Arabic are also official languages, along with Comorian.

The Comoros islands have been settled, conquered, re-settled and re-conquered many times over the centuries. Cultural influences on this continent include African, Indonesain, Madagasy, Arabic and Portugese. All these cultures have left their mark on Comoran cuisines. As a result Comorian cuisine utilizes many different types of spices and exotic ingredients as well as a new way of preparing rice steamed with spices, the usage of cloves, saffron, cinnamon and pomegranate juice. A typical Comorian meal should always contain rice and meat, seasoned with one of the many locally produced ingredients like vanilla, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Being and island nation the Comoros are also rightly famous for their fish dishes and stews made with lentils. The Portugese introduced products from the New World to the islands and many dishes include ingredients such as bell peppers, maize, chillies, tomatoes, bananas, pineapples, limes and oranges.

These recipes, for the major part, originate in Comoros. Otherwise they are fusion recipes with major Comorian influences.

Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros (Udzima wa Komori in Ngazidja Comorian; Union des Comores in French and جمهورية القمر المتحدة in Arabic) is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni. The religion of the majority of the population, and the official state religion, is Sunni Islam. Comoros proclaimed its independence from France on 6 July 1975. The Comoros is the only country of the Arab League which is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a member state of the African Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, and the Indian Ocean Commission. The country has three official languages: Shikomori, French and Arabic.

At 1,659 km2 (641 sq mi), the Comoros is the third-smallest African country by area.[9] In 2019, its population was estimated to be 850,886.[10][11] The sovereign state consists of three major islands and numerous smaller islands, all of the volcanic Comoro Islands with the exception of Mayotte. Mayotte voted against independence from France in a referendum in 1974, and continues to be administered by France as an overseas department. France has vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have affirmed Comorian sovereignty over the island.[12][13][14][15] Mayotte became an overseas department and a region of France in 2011 following a referendum which was passed overwhelmingly.

The Comoros were likely first settled by Austronesian/Malagasy peoples, Bantu speakers from East Africa, and seafaring Arab traders.[16] From 1500 the Sultanate of Anjouan dominated the islands, with Grande Comore split between several sultans. It became part of the French colonial empire during the 19th century, before its independence in 1975. It has experienced more than 20 coups or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated

The name 'Comoros' derives from the Arabic word قمر qamar ('moon').

Comorian Food and Cuisine:

The cuisine reflects the many groups and cultures who have visited and settled the islands over the centuries, including not only Swahili- and Austronesian-speaking peoples but also those with origins in the Middle East (especially Oman and present-day Iran), India, Portugal, and France (the latter of which administered the Comoros until 1975 and still oversees Mayotte).

Many species of fish (particularly tuna and cod) and crustaceans such as crab and lobster are consumed in Comorian soups and stews, often in conjunction with root crops like cassava and green (unripe) banana. Examples of dishes of this type include roti ya houma pampa (dried salt cod rehydrated and slowly simmered in a rougail (sauce) of onion and tomato) and m'tsolola (firm-fleshed fish such as swordfish cooked with plantains and spinach or native greens like matava (cassava leaves) in coconut milk).[1] In recent decades, French-influenced seafood dishes (such as langouste à la vanille, small lobsters in vanilla sauce) have also become popular, especially on Mayotte.

Meals centered around meats such as beef and chicken are also eaten in the Comoros. A prominent example, mshakiki (marinated skewered beef) bears strong similarities to mishkaki from Kenya and Tanzania. Akoho sy voanio or poulet au coco originates in Madagascar and consists of chicken cooked in coconut cream. (Coconuts, termed nazi in some Comorian languages, are utilized in a wide range of dishes from the archipelago.) Popular accompaniments to these dishes include achard aux legumes (tangy pickled lemon or green mango) and pilaou (fragrant rice pilaf originating in the nearby Zanzibar Archipelago).