They offer a wide choice of dishes including haute cuisine , the unique Lake Malawi dishes. The local beer is very good and imported beer and soft drinks are widely available. Malawi gin, which is well known and inexpensive, and tonic have reached almost cult status. Wine is imported largely from South Africa. Malawi produces a variety of colourful arts and crafts.
Items are invariably handmade and there is no factory production of curios.
Purchases include woodcarvings, wood and cane furniture, soapstone carvings, decorated wooden articles, colourful textiles, pottery, beadwork, cane and raffia items. The standard of woodcarving is one of the highest in Africa. The Mua Mission , south of Salima, where carvers are trained, has an excellent shop. Traditional musical instruments are also sold throughout Malawi. Markets and roadside stalls function every day.