National dish

What is the national dish of Madagascar?

The national dish of Madagascar is romazava, a broth of beef (traditionally zebu) cooked with leafy greens, above all brèdes mafana (anamalao), whose flower buds leave a tingling, slightly numbing feeling on the tongue. It is served with plain white rice. No law makes it official, but Malagasy cookbooks and food references consistently name romazava as the national dish.

Updated 2026-10-124 min read

What is romazava?

Romazava is a *ro*, the Malagasy word for a broth served with rice. In Madagascar a meal is rice (*vary*) plus an accompaniment called *laoka*, and a broth can be the main laoka or simply moisten the rice. The verb for "to eat a meal", *mihinam-bary*, literally means to eat rice.

In its simplest form romazava is beef and greens in water. Most cooks add tomato, onion and ginger, which gives a fuller broth. The meat is traditionally zebu, the humped cattle of Madagascar; outside the island a well-marbled beef chuck is the usual stand-in.

Rice is cooked dry and fluffy (*vary maina*) to go with a laoka in sauce, or with extra water into a soupy porridge (*vary sosoa*) for breakfast. In the highlands the sauces are usually tomato-based; on the coast, coconut milk is often added. Romazava belongs to the highland, tomato-and-greens side of that split.

Zebu came to the island around 1000 CE with settlers from East Africa. For centuries the cattle were a form of wealth and were eaten rarely, typically after a ritual sacrifice at funerals and other important events. Beef in an everyday broth is a later habit.

Why brèdes mafana make the dish

What separates romazava from any other beef soup is brèdes mafana, called *anamalao* in Malagasy and paracress (*Acmella oleracea*) in English. Its yellow flower buds contain spilanthol, a compound that makes the tongue tingle, then go slightly numb, and makes the mouth water.

The more buds in the pot, the stronger the effect. That is why our romazava recipe keeps the buds and adds them only for the last 5 minutes: cooked longer, the tingle fades. Without them, the dish is simply a beef stew.

Anamalao / brèdes mafana: the essential green, leaves and flower buds.
Anamamy: morelle greens, often mixed in.
Anantsonga: bok choy, used in simpler versions.
Watercress (brèdes cresson): another common addition.

How romazava is made and served

The method is short. Beef cut in large cubes is browned with onion, garlic and ginger, tomatoes go in until they collapse, then water. The meat simmers covered for about 1 hour 30 until it gives under a fork. The greens go in at the end: mustard greens for 5 minutes, then the brèdes mafana for 5 more.

Romazava is eaten in deep bowls over plain white rice, with chilli and a *rougail* (a raw tomato relish) on the side. The broth is meant to soak into the rice, not to be drunk on its own.

Is romazava officially the national dish?

No law or decree makes it official. Romazava's status comes from usage: Pierre Boissard's *Cuisine malgache, cuisine créole*, published in Antananarivo in 1997, names it, and reference works on Malagasy cuisine repeat it. Some Malagasy food sites also call ravitoto "the national dish", which says more about its popularity than about any formal title.

Romazava is also one of several Malagasy broths. *Ro-mangazafy* is a rich beef, tomato and garlic broth that goes with a dry laoka, while *romatsatso* is a light broth of onion, tomato and morelle greens. What sets romazava apart from both is the anamalao.

Romazava is not exclusive to Madagascar either: it is also cooked in the Comoros, whose own national dish is langouste à la vanille.

Other dishes to know from Madagascar

Ravitoto is cassava leaves pounded to a green paste in a mortar, boiled, then simmered for about an hour with fatty pork until the mixture is almost dry. It was among the *hanim-pito loha*, the seven dishes served at Merina royal festivals. On the coast it is finished with coconut milk, a version called *ravitoto sy voanio*. Pork is not universal on the island: some groups, such as the Sakalava, observe a *fady* (taboo) against eating it, and ravitoto is also cooked with beef or chicken.

Koba is the snack sold at markets and roadsides: mashed ripe bananas, crushed peanuts, rice flour and sugar wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for hours until it slices like a firm pudding. Our koba recipe gives a home-sized version.

The traditional *koban-dravina* goes further: ground peanuts and brown sugar wrapped in a sweetened rice-flour paste, then in banana leaves, and boiled for 24 to 48 hours until the sugar caramelises and the peanuts soften. It is sold in thin slices from market stalls. For breakfast, kiosks sell *mofo gasy*, small rice-flour cakes cooked over charcoal and eaten with coffee.

All three dishes, with ingredients and step-by-step methods, are on our page about the food of Madagascar. For the wider picture, see our guide to East African food, and compare with the national dish of Mauritius, another island kitchen built on rice.

The recipes

Questions people ask

What does romazava mean?

*Ro* is the Malagasy word for broth, and romazava is usually translated as a clear or light broth. It is beef and greens simmered in water, not a thick stew.

Why does romazava make your tongue tingle?

The flower buds of brèdes mafana (paracress) contain spilanthol, which causes a tingling, slightly numbing feeling and extra saliva. The more buds, the stronger the effect.

What is served with romazava?

Plain white rice, always, plus chilli and a tomato rougail on the side. The broth is spooned over the rice.

What can replace zebu in romazava?

A well-marbled beef cut such as chuck. Chicken or fish versions also exist in Malagasy kitchens.

What is the national dessert of Madagascar?

The food writer Alan Davidson called bananas Foster the national dessert, but the sweet you meet most on the street is koba, a steamed banana and peanut cake.

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