COPPERWhat is the national dish of Comoros?
The dish most often named as the national dish of the Comoros is langouste à la vanille: spiny lobster split in half, cooked in butter, then finished in a cream sauce infused with local vanilla and served on white rice. It has no official status, and it is a fairly recent, French-influenced dish, but it brings together the islands' two signature products: Indian Ocean seafood and vanilla.
What is langouste à la vanille?
*Langouste* is spiny lobster, the clawless lobster of warm seas, and the dish is exactly what the name says: lobster in a vanilla sauce. The lobsters are split lengthwise, laid flesh side down in butter with shallots until the shells turn red, then simmered about 10 minutes in cream with the vanilla seeds and the scraped pods.
The pods matter: they carry as much flavour as the seeds and are only lifted out at the end. Some cooks flame the pan with cognac before the cream goes in. The full method is in our langouste à la vanille recipe.
The cream reduces gently around the lobster for those 10 minutes, picking up the shallot and butter from the pan, and is spooned over the shells as it cooks. The whole dish takes about 20 minutes once the lobsters are split.
Why vanilla, and why lobster
The Comoros are nicknamed the "Perfume Islands" for the aromatic plants grown there: vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves and nutmeg. Seafood is the other pillar. Fish, crab and lobster go into Comorian soups and stews, usually with cassava or green banana.
Langouste à la vanille puts both on one plate. It is served on plain white rice, a staple of Comorian cuisine, so the sauce soaks into the grains, with lime wedges on the side.
Is it really the national dish?
There is no law or decree naming a Comorian national dish. Langouste à la vanille holds the title by repetition: it is the dish given for the Comoros in Wikipedia's list of national dishes, in food magazines such as *Saveur*, and in national-dish guides.
It is worth being honest about its profile. Reference works on Comorian cuisine describe it as one of the French-influenced seafood dishes that became popular in recent decades, especially on Mayotte, the island of the archipelago still administered by France. Everyday Comorian cooking leans more on fish stews, coconut chicken and rice.
History explains the French touch. France administered the Comoros until independence in 1975 and still oversees Mayotte, so French techniques like a butter and cream sauce met island products. The rest of the archipelago's cooking reflects older layers: Swahili- and Austronesian-speaking peoples, and settlers from Oman, Persia and India.
Other dishes to know from the Comoros
Comorian cooking draws on Swahili, Austronesian, Omani and Persian, Indian, Portuguese and French influences, and coconut (*nazi* in some Comorian languages) runs through it.
Over 95% of Comorians are Sunni Muslims, and public drinking of alcohol is generally frowned upon, so meals come with juices or herbal teas rather than wine. Mkatra foutra is the one to try first: its batter rests an hour until bubbly, which is what makes it light rather than a flat pancake.
The coconut chicken is the everyday counterpart of the lobster: the pieces rest 1 to 2 hours in lime, turmeric and cumin, then simmer 25 to 30 minutes in coconut milk until the sauce coats them, served with pilao rice or boiled cassava. Mkatra foutra, brushed with butter as it leaves the pan, is eaten warm with honey at breakfast or next to a stew at lunch.
- Poulet au coco: chicken rubbed with lime and turmeric, rested, then simmered in coconut milk. Known as *akoho sy voanio*, it originates in Madagascar. See our poulet au coco recipe.
- Mkatra foutra: a breakfast flatbread whose yeasted batter uses coconut milk instead of water, cooked on a griddle under a layer of sesame seeds. Try our mkatra foutra recipe.
- Pilaou: a spiced rice pilaf from the nearby Zanzibar archipelago, the usual side for meat dishes.
- Mshakiki: marinated skewered beef, very close to the *mishkaki* of Kenya and Tanzania.
- M'tsolola: firm fish such as swordfish cooked with plantains and greens in coconut milk.
- Roti ya houma pampa: salt cod rehydrated and simmered in an onion and tomato rougail.
- Desserts: *mkatra siniya* (a spice cake), *shihondro* (caramelised peanut candy) and *ladu* (cashew and rice balls with a hint of black pepper).
Where to go next
Some dishes are shared with Madagascar, including poulet au coco and romazava, the beef and greens broth that is the national dish of Madagascar. For Mayotte, which shares the same cuisine, see the national dish of Mayotte.
All three Comorian recipes are on our page about the food of the Comoros, and the wider Indian Ocean and East African kitchens are in our guide to East African food.
The recipes
- Langouste à la vanille🇰🇲 Comoros · 35 minutes
Poulet au coco🇰🇲 Comoros · 2 hours
Mkatra foutra🇰🇲 Comoros · 1 hour and 50 minutes
Questions people ask
Is langouste à la vanille officially the national dish of Comoros?
No. No law or decree names it. It is simply the dish most often given as the Comoros' national dish in lists and guides.
What is served with langouste à la vanille?
White rice, which soaks up the vanilla cream sauce, with lime wedges on the side.
Can you use lobster instead of spiny lobster?
Yes. Spiny lobster (langouste) is traditional, but a European or American lobster split in half works the same way.
What is the most common everyday food in the Comoros?
Rice with fish or meat stews, often cooked in coconut milk, with cassava or green banana.
What do Comorians drink?
Tea in the Comoros often means herbal infusions, such as cinnamon leaves or lemongrass, plus fresh juices like jackfruit, papaya and mango.
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