Madagascar

A Malagasy feast dish of bone-in chicken pieces braised entirely in full-fat coconut milk with fresh ginger, garlic, and onion until the liquid reduces to a rich, fragrant, glossy sauce.

A Malagasy street dessert of ripe bananas fried and dusted or caramelized in sugar.

A Malagasy dish of zebu beef slowly dry-fried in its own rendered fat until the liquid evaporates and the meat browns to a near-caramelized finish, seasoned with little more than salt.

A Malagasy preparation of thinly sliced zebu beef, salted and dried or smoked, then griddled or grilled and eaten at breakfast with rice.

A Malagasy steamed cake of mashed banana, ground peanuts and rice flour, wrapped and cooked in banana leaves.

Laoka is the Malagasy catch-all term for any savoury dish — meat, fish, legume, or vegetable — that is served to accompany and flavour the central plate of rice (vary).

A clear, light Malagasy broth of vegetables and meat served as an everyday first course before a larger rice-centered meal.

Malagasy deep-fried balls of lightly sweet leavened dough, sold hot from street-corner pans as an everyday snack.

Small, thick rice-flour pancakes from Madagascar, fermented and cooked in round cast-iron molds, eaten as a street breakfast.

Ravitoto is a Malagasy slow‑braised stew of pounded cassava leaves and pork simmered in coconut milk, traditionally served as a main dish.

Vary is plain boiled white rice that serves as the irreplaceable foundation and staple of every Malagasy meal.

A thin Malagasy everyday broth of leafy greens simmered with a little meat, ladled alongside rice as the daily companion dish.

Romazava is a traditional Malagasy beef broth stew made with Zebu meat, mixed leafy greens, tomato, and ginger, simmered until rich and aromatic.

A fiery fresh Malagasy chili paste of pounded hot chilies, ginger and garlic loosened with oil, used as a universal table condiment.

A crisp, deep-fried triangular pastry parcel filled with spiced lentils or minced lamb and peas, eaten across the Persianate and Indian Ocean worlds.

A traditional Malagasy beverage made by simmering water with the caramelized rice crust remaining at the bottom of the pot after cooking rice, producing a mildly sweet, smoky, and nutty-flavored table drink.

A Malagasy home-distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice or molasses, produced informally in rural areas.

A Malagasy soupy rice porridge cooked together with leafy greens, eaten as a gentle, comforting everyday meal.