ON THANDA ISLAND
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F O O D , N E W S , P E O P L E & R E V I E W S
Thanda Island , paradise for the palette .
A taste of the
WORLD
ON THANDA ISLAND
Melissa-Jane Macdonald has a foodie traveller ’ s dream job : she ’ s the chef of the ultra-luxury Thanda Island , an exclusive getaway off the east coast of Tanzania . Here she spends her days creating dishes to match the flavour of this eight-hectare private island – “ warm , exotic , sun drenched , tantalising and delicious .”
THE CHEF
The 31-year-old South African studied architecture at the University of KwaZulu Natal , but veered off that career path to work as a manager and chef at game lodges in Botswana , which then led her to Thanda Island . Her love affair with food began in childhood : “ I ’ ve always loved experimenting with tastes and flavours , spices and cooking ,” she says . “ My family loves food , so I grew up eating things like escargot , tongue and prawns – things friends my age wouldn ’ t touch ! I was also lucky to have travelled and grown up in several different countries , experiences which allowed me to enjoy the more exotic flavours .”
THE DISH
Thanda lobster curry served with a spicy lobster bisque shot . “ What makes this dish so unique to Zanzibar is its use of local ingredients and spices ,” says Macdonald . “ Thanda Island is only a 35-minute
The perfect setting of Dinarobin .
Chef Melissa-Jane Macdonald .
boat ride from Mafia Island ( part of the Tanzanian Zanzibar Archipelago ), where we have access to some amazing produce . Coconuts are always readily available , as are lobsters , mud crabs and prawns . The local market in Mafia also sells an array of spices : jira ( cumin ), tangawisi ( ginger ), kuku manga ( nutmeg ), pili pili hoho ( paprika ), kitunguu saumu ( garlic ), pili pili manga ( black pepper )… Zanzibar and the east coast of Africa in general have an incredible richness of spices , having been influenced by flavours from the Chinese , Portuguese ,
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