Spice level at Boma

[GaPaige]

I'm thinking of adding Boma into our ADRs for our trip next week. I've never eaten there and would love to try it, but my mom has absolutely NO tolerance for anything even remotely spicy. Black pepper burns her mouth. Would she be able to find enough to eat at Boma that wouldn't be too hot for her? Would the CM's be able to point out what would be OK for her to eat?
Thanks!

 

[FireDancer]

The flavors at Boma are very toned down for African food. I've eaten at many African restaurants and Boma, while my favorite restaurant at WDW, is by far the most toned down I have ever experienced. I love very spicy food but not hot spicy, flavor spicy. I don't recall anything at Boma being very hot but maybe one of the soups I didn't try could have been. Regardless, there are plenty of not hot alternatives.

 

[Pakey]

Many of the spices used at Boma are sweet rather than hot. I don't recall eating anything at Boma that I thought had heat to it (I've eaten here about a half dozen times so have sampled most of the menu).

 

[holcomb-mania]

Boma isn't Tex-Mex, pepper spicy. It's more along the "cinnamon"-type spices. I'm sure a chef would answer any questions you have. They are right there preparing food behind the serving tables.

She will have plenty to choose from with the soups and salads. The carving station is good as are the fish and chicken dishes. They may have some pepper on them, though.

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Boma isn't Tex-Mex, pepper spicy. It's more along the "cinnamon"-type spices. I'm sure a chef would answer any questions you have. They are right there preparing food behind the serving tables.

She will have plenty to choose from with the soups and salads. The carving station is good as are the fish and chicken dishes. They may have some pepper on them, though.

Went twice on our last trip, and didn't find anything remotely "hot" spicey. Remember, if all else fails, there's zebra domes!!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We didnt find the food to be spicy hot, instead we found the food spicy sweet, lots of coconut, vanilla, cinnamon etc

 

[pilferk]

The flavors at Boma are very toned down for African food. I've eaten at many African restaurants and Boma, while my favorite restaurant at WDW, is by far the most toned down I have ever experienced. I love very spicy food but not hot spicy, flavor spicy. I don't recall anything at Boma being very hot but maybe one of the soups I didn't try could have been. Regardless, there are plenty of not hot alternatives.

Agree with you wholeheartedly. There's very little on the menu at Boma's that I would classify as "spicy", in the sense that it's "hot". The food is spicy in that it tends to use many different spices (curry, tamarind, tumeric, cinnamon, etc)..though even that's pretty "toned down".

The only thing I've found that really had any sort of "bite" to it was the ginger carrot soup (from, as you would expect, the ginger). And even that "bite" is pretty mild.

The BBQ sauce, for the BBQ ribs (which, if memory serves, are on the Wednesday and Saturday rotations) also has the teensy tiniest of kicks to it. Pretty sure there's some jalapeno in there.

Edit: Here's a link to a BUNCH of recipes from Boma. Not all of it is still in the rotation (much of it is), but it can give you an idea of what might be spicy.

http://allears.net/din/rec.htm

 

[pilferk]

FYI:
Here's the "old" menu rotation, circa 2008. It's changed some (though many of the staples/favorites in the rotation remain the same), but it gives you an idea of what to expect.

All Days have the same Pods One (Assorted African Breads), Two (fruits), Three (Salad fixings) and Kids' Pod (Chicken, fries, pasta, mac & cheese).

Menu ONE: Tuesday, Friday

Cold Station Pod Four:
Pasta Salad
Watermelon Rind Salad
Kool Slaai
Noodle Salad
Moroccan Seafood Salad

Cold Station Pod Five:
Avacado, Papaya & Grapefruit
Peach and Jicama Salad
Spinach and Quinoa Salad
Fried Plantain Corn Salad

Hot Station Pod Six (SOUPS)
Chicken Pepper Pot
Curried Coconut Seafood Stew
Chicken Corn Porridge
Butternut Squash Soup
Blackeye Pea with Ginger Juice

Hot Station Pod Seven
Coconut Curry Cauliflower
Vegetable Lentil Kofta
Fufu
Potatoes with Afritude
Cous Cous Marakesh
Jollof Rice

Rotisserie
Pap and Sheeba
Whole Spiced Chicken
Roasted Vegetables
Bobotie
Crusted Prime Rib
Seafood Special
African Flank Steak

Choice of Salmon
BBQ Tamarind Salmon
Coconut Curry Salmon
Banana Wrap Salmon
Nut Crusted Salmon
Moroccan Almond Salmon
Banana Curried Salmon

Menu Two: Monday, Thursday

Cold Station Pod Four
Pasta Salad
Watermelon Rind Salad
Kool Slaai
Asparagus and Bean Salad
Melon Salad with Port Wine

Cold Station Pod Five
Cous Cous Salad
Avocado, Papaya & Grapefruit
Carrot, Coconut, Pineapple Salad
Watercress Salad

Hot Station Pod Six (SOUPS)
Potato Bacon
Lamb & Rice Stew
Mulligatawny
Seafood Gumbo
Plantain Corn Chowder

Hot Station Pod Seven
Peanut Rice
Bok Choy
Vegetable Lentil Kofta
FuFu
Potatoes with Afritude
Cous Cous Marakesh

Rotisserie
Pap and Sheeba
Seafood Special
Whole Spiced Chicken
Corn on the Cobb with Honey Butter
Bobotie
Crusted Prime Rib
Lamb Potjie

Choice of Pork Loin
Pepper Pot Pork Loin
Coconut Curry Pork Loin
Coca Cola Pork Loin
Pork with apple and pear chutney

Menu Three: Wednesday, Saturday

Cold Station Pod Four
Pasta Salad
Watermelon Rind Salad
Kool Slaai
Fennel Smoked Fish Salad
Chicken with Chili Cilantro

Cold Station Pod Five
Avocado, Grapefruit, Paw Paw
Roasted Eggplant and Bean Salad
Tunisian Cous Cous Salad
Ethiopian Bread Salad

Hot Station Pod Six (SOUPS)
Carrot & Ginger
Oxtail Barley Soup
Three Bean Gumbo with Sausage
Coconut Curry Chicken Stew
Moroccan Seafood Stew

Hot Station Pod Seven
Peanut Rice
Tofu & Green Bean Curry
Vegetable Lentil Kofta
Fufu
Potatoes with Afritude
Cous Cous Marakesh

Rotisserie
Pap and Sheeba
Seafood Special
Whole Spiced Chicken
Roasted Vegetables
Bobotie
Crusted Prime Rib
Slow Roasted Ribs

Sunday used to be Chef's Choice..which meant any of the dishes above were fair game (and some that weren't part of the regular rotation).

 

[Brygida]

I'm thinking of adding Boma into our ADRs for our trip next week. I've never eaten there and would love to try it, but my mom has absolutely NO tolerance for anything even remotely spicy. Black pepper burns her mouth. Would she be able to find enough to eat at Boma that wouldn't be too hot for her? Would the CM's be able to point out what would be OK for her to eat?
Thanks!

I cannot tolerate any spices either, except for salt & pepper and I love Boma. If your mom cannot even eat pepper, then how will she eat anywhere at WDW?

There are absolutely dishes I love at Boma that are completely not spicy, was just there last week, like: The carved roast, several of the soups (like chicken & corn), Kool slaw & other salads, and of course probably ALL the desserts. The trick is to read the description of the food above the dish - if it has the words: spicy, chili, etc - avoid it.

There is also a kid's section - quite good actually, with pasta in marinara sauce, chicken, and fries.

But again, if she can eat at restaurants at all, she will be able to find something at Boma.