Beat the Sea I (Tanzania, Zanzibar)

On the shores of the Indian Ocean, octopus tenderization perpetuates a centuries-old empirical knowledge: striking freshly caught octopus against the sand or rocks to break its muscle fibers. This brutal yet precise gesture renders the flesh tender, ready to be grilled, boiled, or marinated in recipes passed down orally.

Much more than a culinary technique, it is a memory in motion: that of a fine relationship between coastal communities and their marine environment, nourished by observation, intuition, experience. Here, gastronomy is anchored in the tides , in the rhythm of life, in a subsistence economy where every gesture counts.

This know-how is today threatened by the standardization of fishing industries, the depletion of marine stocks, and the gradual disappearance of artisanal practices in favor of mechanized techniques.