Fried · Sweet Bread

Mandazi

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Ugandans often flavor the dough with cardamom or coconut milk, giving this East African donut a fragrance you won't find in a Western bakery.

Mandazi are lightly sweetened, deep-fried dough triangles or squares, crisp outside and soft inside, sold from baskets and roadside stalls throughout Uganda, often alongside tea in the morning.

Why it's made this way: Mandazi spread along East African trade and migration routes from the Swahili coast into Uganda, becoming a breakfast staple because they're cheap, portable, and pair well with the region's tea culture.