Lakeside Kiosk · Whole Fried Sardines
Isambaza (Fried Lake Kivu Sardines)
Photo: Antoshananarivo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The fish is a species of freshwater sardine found only in Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika, small enough — about 6 centimeters — to eat whole, like whitebait.
Isambaza are small, silvery sardines native to Lake Kivu, battered lightly and deep-fried whole until crunchy enough to eat bones and all. Fishermen bring them in each morning around Rubavu and Kibuye, and lakeside kiosks pile them into bowls to share at sunset with a cold drink.
Why it's made this way: Isambaza is one of the clearest examples of Rwanda's lake-shore food culture: a fish found only in Lake Kivu and neighboring Lake Tanganyika, landed by local fishing crews and eaten within hours at the water's edge.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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