Spices of Antananarivo
Madagascar's highland capital and the commercial hub of the world's leading vanilla producer.
Traded and grown here
Best time: May to October, the dry season, with vanilla curing between June and September.
Antananarivo is built on hills in the island's centre. Madagascar is the world's largest producer of vanilla and also grows cloves, black pepper, cinnamon and ylang-ylang.
Spices and trade
Vanilla grows mainly in the north-east. Pods are hand-pollinated, picked green, cured and dried, a process that takes months. Clove comes from the east coast, and pepper and cinnamon are grown on the island.
The place and its people
Malagasy food is based on rice, with zebu, fish and greens. Sauces called sakay, made with chilli, and ginger, garlic and spice, are table condiments.
Visiting
The Analakely market and Zoma, a large open market once held on Fridays, sell crafts and spices. Prices are best checked before buying vanilla.
A trail idea for Antananarivo
- Analakely market Look at spices and vanilla.
- Rova of Antananarivo Visit the royal hill.
- A sakay stall Taste chilli sauce.
- A vanilla shop Compare pod quality.
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Antananarivo" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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