Boma, Jiko, & African Cuisine

[Disney DieHard]

Okay, I have an experience question for all of you who have dined at Boma and/or Jiko!

Was anyone kind of disappointed or surprised by the fact that the food tasted ... a little bland? For some reason I thought African food was going to have a more forceful or spicy taste to it and it all tasted a little white bread to me.

This is not to say that the food wasn't good ... the food was tasty and I do NOT regret the decision to eat at either restaurant but I was expecting a little more BITE to the food.

Anyone else share my experience! Tell me about your first time!!!

Have A Magical Day!!!

Frank
Disney DieHard

 

[december14disney]

Hmm Boma and Jiko are both regular staples in our Disney Dining. We have eaten at Boma every time. I love the food. Jiko---I have rated it the best Disney restaurant I have ever eaten at!

 

[madalex]

I agree with the OP. I have eaten at Jiko numerous times since the restaurant opened and I have seen the food/menu evolve over the years. I think when Boma and Jiko first opened, the African influence was more pronounced and there was a little more bite and spice to the food. But with all those "picky eaters" and "people afraid to eat at those places because they are concerned about the spices" out there, Disney dialed back the spices so as to make the restaurants more attractive to those with less adventurous palates. It's unfortunate.

 

[Flossbolna]

I have found both restaurants to have lots of spices in their food, but just not hot spices. There is quite a fair amount of cinnamon, cumin and coriander e.g. I don't hink African food necessarily has to be hot spicy to be authentic. I once met an Indian girl from Uganda in college and she explained that hot is mainly used by poor people to disguise the taste of rotten meat

It will be interesting to see what they offer at Sanaa (the restaurant that will open at AKV in May) which appears to be influenced by the Indian-African cuisine.

 

[webray]

The bite from AFrican food comes from the sauces, which are on the buffet but you must add them yourself. They have bite for sure.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We have been to both and did not like Boma dinner at all, everything tasted like cinnamon and vanilla. Jiko dinner was outstanding

 

[Goofyluver]

I drool over Boma. I love everything about it. I drool thinkin' about eating there in a few weeks. In fact, I may be droolin' right now.

Honestly, I think that people confuse spice and flavor. I've always found the food flavorful and DEEElish.

 

[catne]

Yes, to OP...we found the ethnic food at Boma fell into two categories: red-hot-burn-your-mouth spicy or tasteless bland. We did not go for the kids food so I guess that's probably where the food was with average quantities of spice. Now maybe they had a new chef going that night, but ugh...won't go back.

 

[candielips]

We have been to both and did not like Boma dinner at all, everything tasted like cinnamon and vanilla. Jiko dinner was outstanding

I 2nd the Boma comment. It was alright but when I asked my DH if he wanted to eat there again for our upcoming trip he was quite quick with a "no". Which is unfortunate as we really loved the atmosphere at the AKL.
I cannot comment on Jiko as we have never been.

 

[Anal Annie]

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Boma. Jiko is OK, but overpriced IMO. But Boma is a must do for us. I would never describe the food there as spicy at all, but rather just different and unique because they use different spices and seasonings... Just because something is called a spice does not mean it's spicy hot. If we want spicy we'll look for Chinese or Mexican. Boma is all about the unique aromas and flavors for us. Bland is never a word I would consider to describe the food there. Bland describes low sodium soup. LOVE Boma.

 

[Laura]

I wouldn't be an expert on the authenticity of Boma as an African restaurant (haven't been to Jiko), but my guess is that like any ethnic restaurant in WDW, it's more "Americanized". I haven't had much African cuisine other than Ethiopian--which is very spicy and sorta like Indian food. I would imagine a continent like Africa has many varieties of flavors. A lot of what was on the buffet at Boma seemed like Mediterranean/North African food to me, but it did not seem bland.

 

[Kathy C]

Hmm Boma and Jiko are both regular staples in our Disney Dining. We have eaten at Boma every time. I love the food. Jiko---I have rated it the best Disney restaurant I have ever eaten at!

Jiko is our favorite Disney restaurant too!

 

[ajbefish62]

Boma is one of our favorites and we make sure we eat there on every disney visit. I don't recall the food being bland. Can't wait until December to try the food again!!

 

[wild4dis]

I certainly cant claim to be an "African" food expert...my only experience is at Boma...however we love it there and is one of the few WDW restaurants on a must visit list every time we go.

 

[JenniBarra]

I wouldn't be an expert on the authenticity of Boma as an African restaurant (haven't been to Jiko), but my guess is that like any ethnic restaurant in WDW, it's more "Americanized".

The term I have heard is that Boma is "African inspired."

 

[DrD]

double

 

[DrD]

I once met an Indian girl from Uganda in college and she explained that hot is mainly used by poor people to disguise the taste of rotten meat

That is very true. in fact, the main reason why spicy cuisine is found in warmer climates is that in the days before refrigeration much of the meat they ate was half rotten. In very warm climates they would not have even had access to ice.

 

[Laura]

That is very true. in fact, the main reason why spicy cuisine is found in warmer climates is that in the days before refrigeration much of the meat they ate was half rotten. In very warm climates they would not have even had access to ice.

It's because spicy food makes you perspire and cools you off. Many folks in South India are vegetarians, and their food is still very spicy!

 

[DrD]

It's because spicy food makes you perspire and cools you off. Many folks in South India are vegetarians, and their food is still very spicy!

Incorrect. visible sweat does not cool you as it's not evaporating. Cooling is most efficient when you don't see any sweat, as the water is evaporating as fast as it's being made. Also, the body is very good at temperature regulation; stimulating excessive sweat through spicy food would not help.

this is a common misconception.

vegetarian food does spoil as well. also, "many folk" might still be expected to adopt the common culinary habits of their region.

 

[Laura]

Incorrect. visible sweat does not cool you as it's not evaporating. Cooling is most efficient when you don't see any sweat, as the water is evaporating as fast as it's being made. Also, the body is very good at temperature regulation; stimulating excessive sweat through spicy food would not help.

this is a common misconception.

vegetarian food does spoil as well. also, "many folk" might still be expected to adopt the common culinary habits of their region.

You're reading too much into my post. One is still perspiring whether or not the sweat is visible; I didn't say it had to be. When you eat spicy food, your body temperature rises and circulation increases. This has a cooling effect.

To state rotting meat is the primary reason why hot climates go for spicy food doesn't seem to apply in South India where the common culinary habits eschew meat. There are anti-microbial properties to hot spices, and any food can spoil, as you say. That's my issue with the theory of rotting meat.