Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There are some good, locally produced cheeses and Malagasy yoghurt is excellent and
availableineventhesmallestshops.ChocaholicsshouldkeeptheireyespeeledforChocol-
ate Robert - available in several varieties.
Vegetarian food Madagascar is becoming more accustomed to vazaha vegetarians. With
patience you can usually order meatless dishes anywhere, even at small hotelys . The prob-
lem tends to be communicating what youdoand don't eat; once this is clear,most kitchens
canoffersomevegetarian options. Tsymisyhena means'withoutmeat' and tsyoman-kena
aho means 'I don't eat meat'.
DRINK The most popular drink, Three Horses Beer, known universally as THB
( www.star-thb.com ) , is wonderful on a hot day. I think it's wonderful on a cold day, too. It
has 5.4% alcohol, but there are some new varieties: THB Special (6.2%), THB Bex (5%)
and THB Lite (1%) - created to circumvent new laws restricting advertising of stronger
alcoholic beverages. Another low-alcohol option is THB Fresh, a light shandy produced,
like those above, by Star Brewery.
Madagascar produces its own wine in the Fianarantsoa region, and some is very good.
Lazan'i Betsileo (see Click Here ) is recommended. A pleasant aperitif is Maromby (the
name means 'many zebu') and Litchel, made from lychees, is good. Rum, toaka gasy , is
very cheap and plentiful, especially in sugar-growing areas such as Nosy Be; and fermen-
ted sugar cane juice, betsabetsa (east coast), or fermented coconut milk, trembo (north),
make a change. Rhum arrangé - fruit slices soaked in rum - is found in most locally run
hotels.Thebestcocktailis punchcoco ,withacoconut-milkbase,aspecialityofthecoastal
areas. Yummy!
The most popular mineral water is called Eau Vive, but other brands are now available.
Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta are also available (produced under licence by Star Brewery).
The locally produced limonady sadly bears no resemblance to lemons, and I think Bonbon
Anglais is revolting, though not every anglais agrees (it is not dissimilar to Irn-Bru, but
without the lurid orange colourant).
MalagasycoffeeisOK-just-iftakenblack,butoftenonlycondensedmilkisavailable.
I find that one quickly regresses to childhood and surreptitiously spoons the condensed
milknotintothecoffeebutintothemouth.Ifyoupreferunsweetenedwhitecoffeeitmight
be better to bring your own powdered milk. Caffeine-addicts who don't get along with the
local coffee can find Nescafé sachets in the local supermarkets.
The locally grown tea is weak, the best quality being reserved for export. A nice altern-
ative is thé citronelle , lemongrass tea, which is widely available.
WARNINGS! If you are travelling on a prepaid packaged tour, you may be discon-
certed to find that you are charged for coffee and tea along with drinks. These beverages
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