On that one should not be conducted in Zanzibar

• What you should not be conducted in Zanzibar

In any country, in any popular place there is always something that is very tasty and describing tourist guides offer travel-office, and that does not correspond to the promised.

Zanzibar these were widely publicized farm on cultivation of spices ...

Knowing my passion for cooking, you understand that preparing for a trip to this island, I just could not skip past his attention to such a highlight of Zanzibar, as spices. Do not delay a visit to then, on the second day of his trip went to one of the Spice Farm, which is strongly recommended in the local tourist office. That represent themselves and farm spices and why this post a title, see below.

First, a short backstory of why spices in Zanzibar so much attention.

It all started with the fact that the Omani Sultan Seyyid Said, who won the island of Zanzibar in 1804, so in love with this island that very moved his residence from Oman. A few years after the conquest, once again circling his new possession, he discovers that the island is grown recently imported from the Moluccas cloves. Soon came the first Zanzibar clove plantations, and by the mid-19th century, it became the largest supplier of this spice in the world. Over the years, the spices become the main income of the island's economy. Today Zanzibar is often referred to as the birthplace and spices are grown here, besides cloves, cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger and many other spices that are available to all parts of the world.

Given all this, it is understandable why the island is so popular spice tours on the "farm" of spices.

Numerous tourist offices promise you "spice plantation", but make no mistake. On these plantations no you're not lucky, they are all privately owned and there is no time for tourists.

Is where you privvezut, with plantations has nothing to do ... No, there is, of course, dozens of kinds of spices grow. That's just it looks the same as on your dacha growing dozens of species of fruits and berries - there currant bush, there is a strawberry bed, there is an apple tree, and on the corner of a walnut.

Here's what one of these spice farms, rather the entrance to the "plantation"

Vehicle "planter", which is already waiting for the next group.

His Tell Ali begins with cardamom.

Here's what this plant, which is sometimes called the "queen of spices". Cardamom belongs to the group of the most expensive spices.

Homeland cardamom - Malabar Coast of India and Ceylon

cardamom begins to bear fruit in the third year of his life. On the ground from the root run short shoots, on which there are flowers and fruits. It is these immature boxes collected and dried

The tree - nutmeg. His birthplace, as well as cloves, Moluccas.

The fruit of the nutmeg color is a bit like a pear-wildings, but it does not elongate and round. If the fetus is cut in the middle of the bone will be. This is the very spice nutmeg.

The core of dried nutmeg is used in cooking, food and perfume industry, in medicine.

The fruit of this tree there in the kitchen of each of us.

This pepper.

The most common black pepper is growing here in such a way, in small bunches on the branches of a tree. As it turned out, it is not a tree or bush. This vine.

I was surprised to learn that black, white, green and red peppers, peas - they are one and the same. All the difference is only in the time of collection and the degree of drying.

"Plantation" lemongrass.

It is called lemongrass or lemon grass.

Lemongrass is used in Asian and Caribbean cuisine, as well as African teas.

Next came the coffee tree. It must be said that African coffee trees are very different from coffee, which I met in Vietnam.

So look immature coffee beans. This berry, the core of which is the most fragrant grain.

Coffee in the branches of a tree

In view of these leaves are more like overgrown sedge on the bank of our rivers and lakes. But this ... ginger.

Even such small shrub roots are large enough.

Bushes turmeric. Actually, it's amazing how shabby looking plants that give such amazingly delicious and flavorful seasonings.

Turmeric extract from the roots. They are collected, dried and then ground into a powder that we buy for cooking.

A branch of cinnamon. As a spice is used only bark, which is simply cut off the branches and trunks. Interestingly, the bark is recovering quickly, and within a year or two here again srezhut bark for drying and subsequent sale

Here is the fresh-cut cinnamon

The fruits of vanilla.

In addition to spices, these "farms" are also growing some fruit.

For example, carambola

Lime

But for this fruit is one of our guides even climbed a tree, so that we can try them.

This is the Zanzibar apple.

Appearance it really is somewhat reminiscent of apple. But views. If you cut it, you will see inside the bone as in peaches or apricots. Well, the taste is not an apple.

At the end of this tour offers a small show program with a performance of muscular African pole, but that I can be like a talk separately)

Of course, over the hour and a half I saw growing a dozen spices, try something, something dug up, but ... this is not a farm or plantation, as promised by the tour guides.

That's why this post a title.

Two mosquito who watched our walk, agreed with this)