Want to cook some Somali food? Somali food is surprisingly good with its delicious flavors and spicy dishes. In Somalia you can taste delicious bread, tasty stews, local snacks, sweets and much more.
Down below you have a list of traditional dishes that you can taste in Somalia.
Canjeero
Canjeero, also known as Anjero, is a bread similar to the Ethiopian bread injera. The biggest difference is the size and how you eat the bread.
Instead of eating the bread with different dishes as you do in Ethiopia, you eat it with sugar or honey in Somalia. You can also eat it with meat and vegetables for breakfast.
Sambusa
Sambusa are made of puff pastry filled with meat or vegetables and shaped into triangles. It’s a popular snack in Somalia spiced with cardamom.
In the southern part of the country, it’s also common to eat sambusa for breakfast.
Muufo
Muufo is another Somali bread that’s worth tasting in Somalia. It’s a flat bread that’s traditionally baked in a clay oven and is made from corn flour.
It’s delicious to eat as it is or together with various stews and soups.
Iskudheh Karis
This is a dish with rice that’s very popular in the country. Iskudheh Karis is prepared with basmati rice, meat and various spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, coriander and cloves.
It’s a dish that’s very tasty and filling – so make sure to taste it if you see it on a menu in Somalia.
Cambuulo
Cambuulo is a famous dish from Somalia that consists of rice, beans and lentils. It’s a popular dish to eat for lunch and dinner in Somalia.
The dish is usually topped with tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes before serving.
Sabaayad
Sabaayad is a flatbread that’s eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, it’s common to eat this bread with muqmad, which is dried beef or camel meat.
Somali Halwa
Halwa, also known as xalwa, is a sweet that’s popular to serve during more festive occasions – such as weddings and Eid ul Fitr.
Somali halwa is made from sugar, butter, water, flour and various spices. It’s one of the most popular sweets in the country that’s usually served after a meal as a dessert.
Bariis iskukaris
Bariis iskukaris is a traditional dish with rice from Somalia. The dish consists of basmati rice which is prepared with a variety of spices, including cumin, turmeric, coriander, cardamom and black pepper.
The rice is topped with raisins, potatoes, onions and peppers and is usually served with lamb or goat meat, but can also be served with chicken, beef and camel meat.
More about Somali food
Somali food varies from region to region, which makes Somalia to a country that has a lot to offer when it comes to food.
For breakfast “quraac” many Somalis eat canjeero, which is a pancake-like bread. You eat it with butter and sugar or honey, or with more nutritious ingredients such as meat and vegetables.
In southern Somalia, it’s also common to eat Sambusa for breakfast.
Lunch is called “qado” in Somali and it’s the most important meal of the day. For lunch, it’s common to eat rice with meat, vegetables and various spices. Banana is usually served as a side dish for lunch in Somalia.
Dinner “casho” is served around 9 o’clock in the evening. For dinner, it’s common to be served the dish Cambuulo which is one of the most popular dishes in Somalia. In addition to that dish, it’s popular to eat other dishes that contains rice and beans.
Do you have more questions about Somali food? Leave a comment below!