The Cuisines of Eritrea reflect a rich blend of spices that are both strong and subtle. The country became a colony of the Turks, Italians and lastly by the British, till its independence in the 1950s. The Cuisines of Eritrea has made the country quite famous in the whole world.
The traditional food of the country is tsebhis (stews) and injera, hilbet (pasta prepared from legumes of lentil, fava beans). Both Eritrea and Ethiopia have similar cuisines.
The restaurants and bars in Eritrea serve injera, that is, traditional bread. It resembles a large and pillow soft pancake. People of Eritrea eat it by breaking it in to small pieces and using it to pick up food that is placed on its top. The stews that are provided with injera are made from beef, chicken, mutton or vegetables. The people of Eritrea like to eat their food hot and spicy. A type of dried chili pepper called Berbere accompanies most of the dishes. A popular stew is zigni that is made of beef and dorho tsebhi that is prepared from chicken. Alicha is made without the use of berbere and a puree called shiro that is made of different legumes. The bread is given in a large platter.
There are regional variations of food to be seen in Eritrea. Injera is widely eaten in the highlands which is the staple diet of the people. In the lowland area, the main cuisine is akelet, which is a porridge-like dish and is made from wheat flour dough. The top of it is scooped with a ladle and is filled with berbere and butter sauce. This is then surrounded by milk or yoghurt. A piece of broken dough is used to scoop up the sauce.
Drinks
The restaurants and bars in Eritrea provide a brew that is made of barley beer and is called Siwa. Another attraction is a honey wine called Meise. The men enjoy these drinks in the bars while women drink these in the markets.
One can see families, university students, vegetarians as well as vegans in these places. In the Eritrean traditional season of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, most of the people of Eritrea eat non-meat based food.
Dining in the restaurants and bars in Eritrea will surely add flavor to your tour in the country. So, on your tour to the land, be sure to try out the Cuisines of Eritrea.
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