Moshi Market Tour and Tanzanian Cooking Class: Ugali

Grate coconut by hand and cook ugali over a wood fire in a family home outside Moshi

A private market visit and hands-on cooking class in Moshi where you shop for ingredients with local hosts Shida, Marissa and William, then spend an afternoon at their mud house learning to prepare ugali and fresh coconut milk the traditional way. You help cook the meal, eat it sitting outdoors with the family, and share peanut brittle and local brew before heading back to your hotel.

The experience

The experience starts at a small market in Moshi where your hosts introduce you to locally grown produce (fruits, vegetables and aromatic herbs), and explain how each ingredient fits into Tanzanian cooking. You walk through the stalls with them, stopping at favorite vendors to pick up what you'll need for the class. After about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk, you arrive at Shida's home, a simple mud house where the real work begins.

For the next hour, you learn to make fresh coconut milk using a buzi, a small wooden seat with a grinder that shaves the coconut meat. This becomes the base for the vegetable and stew dishes. Then Shida teaches you to prepare ugali, a staple cornmeal dish that looks simple but takes real technique. You'll also help with sautéed vegetables and whatever else is on the menu that day. The food cooks over a wood fire, which gives it a distinct flavor that you can't replicate at home. Depending on which option you book, you'll either have lunch or dinner, and the menu might include uji (a millet and peanut porridge), beef and green banana stew, rice with spiced beans, or fried bananas and cassava with hot sauce.

When the meal is ready, you sit on benches outdoors with the entire family and eat communal style. Each person picks up a piece of ugali, rolls it into a ball, and uses it to scoop vegetables or stew. After the meal, you share peanut brittle and Shida's local brew, a fermented drink made from bananas and grains. Private transportation from your hotel is included, and vegetarian or halal meals are available if you request them when you book.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• market visit with your hosts.
• one-hour hands-on cooking class.
• the meal you prepare (lunch or dinner depending on your option).
• fresh fruit.
• coffee and peanut brittle.
• local fermented brew.
• vegetarian and halal meals available upon request.

Options for this experience

2 options

Market+cooking+lunch+RTTGuide in English · 10:00Includes pickup

Market+cooking+dinner+RTTGuide in English · 13:30Includes pickup

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 13:30

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 3 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Operated by Traveling Spoon

Is this one for you?Book the lunch option if you want to eat earlier in the day and return to your hotel by mid-afternoon. Choose dinner if you prefer a later meal and more time to spend with the family before heading back.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What is ugali and why is it important in Tanzanian cooking?

Ugali is a traditional cornmeal dish that is a staple in Tanzania. It looks simple to make but requires real technique and labor, and it's eaten communal style: each person shapes it by hand and uses it to scoop up vegetables or stew. Shida takes pride in teaching visitors how to prepare it the way her family has for generations.

How does the market visit work, and what will I learn there?

Your hosts Marissa, William and Shida take you through a small local market in Moshi where they show you the fresh produce used in Tanzanian cuisine. They explain the role each ingredient plays in traditional cooking and stop at their favorite vendors to pick up the items you'll use in the cooking class later that afternoon.

What other dishes might I cook or eat during the class?

Besides ugali, you may prepare and try uji (a millet and peanut porridge), beef and green banana stew, rice with spiced beans, fried bananas and cassava with hot sauce, or fresh fruit. All dishes are cooked in coconut milk and simmered over a wood fire. The exact menu depends on what's available and what your hosts decide to prepare that day.

How long is the entire experience, and what's included in the price?

The full experience runs about five and a half hours from pickup at your hotel to drop-off. Private transportation, the market visit, the one-hour cooking class, your meal, peanut brittle, and local brew are all included. If you need vegetarian or halal meals, let your hosts know when you book.

Where does the cooking class take place?

After the market visit, you travel about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk to Shida's home, a simple mud house outside Moshi. You cook in and around the home, and the meal is eaten sitting on benches outdoors with the family.