Portuguese aspect to the accommodation Maputo offers

Among the big plus-points of the better beachfront accommodation Maputo has to offer are the sea-facing rooms, the high levels of comfort and friendly staff, a lovely pool and garden, as well as close proximity to the Mozambique capital’s tourist attractions. Actually, the hotels that fit this description make up a short list of the special few.

 And then there’s the extra special accommodation Maputo can boast of, those beachfront hotels that are particularly memorable, places that remain in your memory for years after staying in them and which mean more than just a business venue or any old ordinary holiday joint. What’s more, there are those among the extra special where the facilities, services, management and staff are of an internationally high standard without costing 5 Star rates.

 Prior to 1975 Mozambique was under the rule of Portugal. In fact the country’s colonial era in one or other form lasted for 500 years before the declaration of independence, and Portuguese remains the language spoken by the majority of the population in Maputo at least. The Portuguese heritage is also evident in some of the architecture and much of Mozambique’s food as offered in many of the best hotels, restaurants and street cafés is distinctly Portuguese in nature.

 An example of the best accommodation Maputo has to offer is the Southern Sun Maputo hotel. Here the Portuguese heritage can be seen in the décor and enjoyed in the cuisine, with the restaurant menu of local and international dishes catering to meat and fish lovers as well as to vegetarians.

 And apart from the restaurants linked to accommodation; Maputo has many stand-alone eateries of various descriptions that visitors to the city are advisedto try and which specialise in Portuguese-style food. Crops introduced by the Portuguese to Mozambique’s agricultural landscape include:  

• A starch root called cassava, 
• Cashew nuts, Mielies, 
• Millet, 
• Pãozinho (used to make bread rolls), 
• Potatoes, 
• Rice, 
• Sorghum 
• And sugar cane.

It was also the Portuguese who encouraged the use of bay leaves, chilli, coriander, garlic, onions, paprika, red pepper and wine as ingredients for dishes that the country is now renowned for – think prego, espetada and piri-piri.

To sit down to a meal in the Mozambique capital and to be treated to generous helpings of battered shrimp or prawns dripping with garlic-butter – with a bottle of beer or Portuguese wine in your glass – you will surely have experienced truly heavenly food!