In Madagascar, people eat all kinds of foods, including fruit, vegetables, seeds and meat. The island’s inhabitants are real foodies who love rich and varied cuisine. More than anywhere else, ‘medicine is in the mouth’, so people pay attention to what they taste, eat and swallow. The island is rich in flavours and foods that are beneficial to the body. It is these that we are interested in in this article, where we reveal the virtuous foods to eat to stay in good health.

Watermelon

Available from October to January, watermelon is the fruit of choice for hydrating the body without overloading it with water. Recommended for preventing kidney disease and cleansing the digestive system, there are red and yellow watermelons on the island. The fruit grows all over the island and is eaten as a dessert or for breakfast on the main island. Generally round in shape, it is also possible to find oval watermelons or those with more exotic shapes. They vary in size from that of a melon to that of a pumpkin. Watermelons can be found all over Madagascar.

Avocado

Avocados are available between April and July and are rich in vegetable fats and fibre. They are very popular in meat-free diets due to their nutritional value. On the island, it is often eaten as a cold starter, accompanied by other raw vegetables. It is a very popular fruit, and avocado trees can be found in the gardens of many inhabitants of the island.

It is sometimes mashed with vinaigrette, chopped onions and salt to make guacamole, but this is quite rare.

Papaya

A fruit found from August to December, and sometimes out of season, papaya is very popular with the Malagasy people. It is often used to decorate fruit salads served in various restaurants, and is also found in the form of fruit jellies and jams.

Beyond its use in food preparation, papaya is often eaten fresh on the island as a dessert, snack or breakfast. The fruit is easy to digest and has enough sugar to make it sweet without causing any blood sugar problems. Papaya grows throughout the island, with good varieties of the fruit developed in the warmest regions.

Banana

A cult fruit in tropical countries, bananas are available all year round in Madagascar. There are different varieties, including pink bananas, apple bananas and plantains (which are used for cooking).

The island’s inhabitants eat them at all times of the day, for breakfast, as a dessert after lunch and as a dessert after dinner. It is a fruit with a high sugar content and is often given to babies as a supplement to their baby food and breast milk. However, babies are not the only ones to enjoy this sweet fruit; it is often given to the island’s various lemurs as a treat, supplementing their diet of leaves to make them less wild.

The fruit is eaten in fritters, cakes, fried chips, or in other more elaborate forms in Madagascar.

Beans

A favourite ingredient in Malagasy recipes, beans are among the most commonly consumed legumes in Malagasy households. Beans are known for their high protein content and have a consistency that makes them an ideal food for sustaining energy throughout the day. Beans are eaten in many ways: with tomato sauce, curry sauce, turmeric sauce, or brown sauce. Beans can be found all year round on the stalls of Madagascan bazaars. The seeds are dried or fresh and sold by the kilo or in smaller quantities.

In addition to traditional bean consumption, some grocery stores sell bean jam products. The seed is popular in every sense of the word.

Salad leaves

Salad leaves are a vegetable that is widely sold in Madagascan markets. They are often eaten raw with a vinaigrette dressing. Appreciated for their low calorie content, they are recommended for diets or sequential fasting. Salad leaves are also recommended for their therapeutic properties for the stomach. Salad consumption is mainly by families.

This vegetable is often grown on the outskirts of towns and cities, and is often freshly dug up for sale in shops or markets. Salad is a good source of vitamin A, potassium and magnesium.

Tissam leaves

Another green vegetable: tissam leaves are highly prized in Madagascan cuisine. They are appreciated for their digestibility and herbaceous taste. They are cooked with other foods such as potatoes, carrots and meat.

It is a very typical food in Madagascar, rarely found in other parts of the world.

It is eaten all year round and is a traditional food in Malagasy culture. In rural areas, tissam leaves are planted in vegetable gardens and are a common crop. Tissam leaves are not very popular with carnivorous animals such as dogs.

Lemon

Lemon is a fruit that is consumed between June and September, the normal harvest season for the fruit. It is a recognised antioxidant and is used as such on the island. They are consumed in juice, in dishes, or in cakes. They are perfect for mixing with rum, cane sugar, and mint leaves in a revisited mojito.

With its high tonic content, the citrus fruit is sometimes consumed as is to relieve temporary fatigue.

All varieties of lemon are found on the island, including lime, lemon, and wild lemon. European varieties are also available in Madagascan shops and markets.

Ginger

Ginger is a spice widely used in Malagasy cuisine. It is used daily to enhance the flavour of dishes. It is sometimes eaten raw without cooking in the island’s provinces. Its nutritional benefits include potassium and magnesium, and it is a natural anti-inflammatory. It is available throughout the year in Madagascar and is also exported to neighbouring islands.

Tea lovers enjoy it in grogs, while rum lovers enjoy it in rum-based cocktails.

The spice symbolises love and passion on the island and is often associated with feelings of tenderness and sweetness.

Plums

A purple fruit found mainly from December to March, plums are known for their digestive properties. The fruit has a sweet, fruity taste and a stone in the centre.

In Madagascar, it is eaten only as a dessert, either on its own or in pastries. During plum season, the fruit is everywhere, a true paradise for fruit lovers.

It should be noted that the fruit is rarely eaten dried. In addition to its digestive qualities, it is a fruit that provides significant amounts of vitamins C, K and A.