Mandazi — sometimes called maandazi or East African doughnuts — is the quintessential breakfast food across Kenya and the East African coast. These triangular or crescent-shaped, lightly sweetened, cardamom-scented fried dough puffs are eaten at breakfast alongside chai (spiced tea) and are found in virtually every Kenyan home and tea house from Mombasa to Nairobi to the highlands.

The distinguishing feature of mandazi compared to doughnuts elsewhere is the use of coconut milk (in coastal versions) and cardamom — influences from centuries of Indian Ocean trade that have made the Swahili coast one of the most spiced and aromatic food cultures in Africa. The cardamom gives mandazi a subtle floral warmth that makes them particularly well-suited to being dunked in chai.

Mandazi are best eaten fresh from the oil, when they are still warm and slightly crispy on the outside with a hollow, airy interior. By afternoon they become denser and chewier but are still enjoyable. They are also sold by street vendors throughout Kenyan cities and towns and are considered one of the most essential elements of Kenyan breakfast culture.