History and products
Traditionally nomadic, Djiboutian cuisine is the product of the harsh climatic conditions of this entirely desert country. A frugal diet, it consisted mainly of camel meat and milk, to which were added cereals and other vegetables. The latter were often exchanged for livestock, as agriculture was very limited in the country. Meat was generally eaten on feast days. With sedentarization, products diversified and eating habits evolved. Throughout its history, Djibouti has often been part of larger entities, such as the prosperous Sultanate of Adal in the Middle Ages or, later, the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, its strategic position at the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean made it an important trading post between the Mediterranean and Asia. As a result, Djibouti cuisine is characterized by the abundant use of Indian spices, a testimony to the country's strong relations with India at the beginning of our era.
Later, the country became a French colony between the end of the 19th century and the 1960s. So it's not uncommon to find bakeries stocked with baguettes every morning, to accompany grilled meat and sauces and to make hearty sandwiches. Often influenced by neighboring Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen, the cuisines and products of these three countries are naturally found in Djibouti. Bananas, mangoes, papayas, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peppers and many other foods are imported, particularly from neighboring countries. Nomads used to trade livestock or salt for cereals. Rice is one of the most widely consumed foods. It is used to stuff goats and accompanies grilled meats or meats in sauce. As in Somalia, pasta(baasto) is very popular. It's more of a tagliatelle, always accompanied by an excellent red sauce, fairly oily and spicy. It is served with grilled meats for larger meals. The Indian influence explains the generous use of spices by local cooks. Turmeric, cumin, saffron, cardamom, chillies, cinnamon and others add their fragrance to many dishes.
Although nomads used to eat relatively little meat, today it is more often found on our plates. Goat and mutton meat are common on the markets, even if they are often imported from Ethiopia. Beef and chicken are less common. Ayib is a mild cheese made from cow's milk. Although the Gulf of Aden is rich in fish, Djiboutians have never been big consumers of seafood. All seafood (sea bream, barracuda, cuttlefish, lobster, red mullet, etc.) is delicious, but king mackerel is the most prized for its flesh.
The classics of Djiboutian cuisine
The best-known local dishes include fah-fah, the equivalent of a spicy pot-au-feu with goat meat, vegetables (white cabbage, leek, potato, tomato, etc.) and green chillies, and usually served with lahoh, a type of soft pancake. Alternatively, let yourself be tempted by skoudehkaris, a rice simmered in a richly spiced tomato and lamb sauce with a generous amount of cardamom. Djiboutian soup is a tasty broth made from mutton, potatoes, leeks, cabbage and a generous dose of coriander.
Cabri is the most typical dish of nomadic culture, prepared for special occasions. The little goat is cooked in an ancient clay oven, and often stuffed with rice and spices. Whatever the recipe, the meat is extremely tender and melt-in-the-mouth. Alternatively, discover tibs, small pieces of meat - usually beef, mutton, goat or even dromedary - fried with green chili pepper.Odkac is a term for dried meat cooked in a generous amount of butter before being sliced into small cubes. These "little meats" are cheap and tasty to eat on the go. It's a baguette of bread generously topped with small pieces of cooked meat, a lightly spiced sauce and a few vegetables. It's spicy and hearty, and available from street stalls. Another snack, the sambusa or samoussa, is omnipresent on the stalls to break the Ramadan fast. This triangle-shaped fried turnover contains a spicy meat and vegetable filling.
Finally, there are several stews, such as wat or wet, a generic term for various Ethiopian-inspired meat (mutton, chicken or beef) or vegetable stews. Shiro wat is bean-based, while messer wat is lentil-based. Yetakelt wet is a stew of various vegetables (carrots, green beans, potatoes) in a spicy sauce. Dulet is a mixture of giblets and tripe, minced and fried.
Foreign Gastronomy
Because of its small size and turbulent history, often absorbed by its larger neighbors, Djibouti does not have a strong culinary identity, and many of the specialties eaten in the country are derived from the cuisine of neighboring countries, starting with Somalia. Somalia is culturally very close to Djibouti, sharing the same languages such as Arabic, Somali and Afar. As a result, the two nations have many dishes in common.
Since Eritrea's independence in 1993, the overwhelming majority of goods leaving or returning from Ethiopia pass through Djibouti, further reinforcing the influence of Ethiopian cuisine in the country, whose most characteristic product isinjera. This thick, fluffy pancake is made with a fermented dough made from teff flour, a cereal grown only in Ethiopia. It accompanies many specialties, and serves as both a plate and a place setting. When it's not filled with a multitude of spicier dishes,injera is eaten more simply with niter kebbeh (clarified butter) and berberé, a blend of spices typical of Ethiopian cuisine: cumin, cloves, cardamom, cayenne pepper, ginger and more.
Although Djibouti only has a maritime border with Yemen, the presence of many Yemeni workers and long-standing trade links have introduced many dishes from that country. Don't miss the most popular Yemeni specialty in Djibouti: wood-grilled fish à la yéménite(moukbasa). It is served in several restaurants in the capital and elsewhere on the coast. The fish (but the recipe can also be applied to meat) is brushed with a mixture of tomato and spices, giving it an exceptional consistency and taste. It is often served with khobz el tawa (oily square flatbread) or lahoh, a kind of thick, spongy wafer. Yemeni cuisine is no slouch when it comes to oriental desserts, and at breakfast time, all Yemeni canteens offer fruit shakes or smoothies that can be made up as you wish from the menu of fresh fruit available.
Desserts and drinks
The most famous dessert is xalwo (pronounced "halwo"), the local name for halva, a popular confection served on special occasions such as Eid celebrations or wedding receptions. Unlike the varieties found in the Middle East and South Asia, made with sesame cream (tahini) or semolina, xalwo here has a more rubbery texture, akin to Turkish Turkish delight, thanks to the presence of starch. It is then flavored with nutmeg and cardamom. Garoobey is a porridge made by soaking oats in milk flavored with various spices.
Neighboring Ethiopia and Yemen, Djibouti is well surrounded when it comes to coffee. Since the 18th century, Obock and Tadjourah have been used by the French as export ports for Ethiopian coffee, Louis XIV having made the beverage fashionable in European courts, after the Ottomans had introduced it to Venetian merchants. Today, it's widely drunk on the terraces of the capital's European quarter. In Ethiopian restaurants, you'll be served the famous bounna coffee from the Harrar region, sipped with kolo (a mixture of roasted barley, chickpeas and sunflower seeds). Tea is Djibouti's favorite drink. Nomads have long consumed it to quench their thirst, to gather and chat. It can be enhanced with ginger or coffee leaves, and more usually with cardamom and cinnamon.
The consumption of fresh fruit juices is a relatively recent and uncommon phenomenon. Nevertheless, you'll find some very good ones near the capital's market. From Ethiopia, spris is a drink in which each juice (mango, papaya, pineapple and avocado) is poured separately into the glass for a rainbow look. Djiboutians, who are Muslims, do not consume alcohol, but they are very tolerant of foreigners drinking it, albeit discreetly. Hotels and other establishments offer European and Ethiopian beers (St-George's, Dashen, Habesha, etc.), as well as wine and other spirits. As a curiosity, Ethiopian restaurants offer various types ofareki (or areka), a cereal digestif (barley, sorghum, etc.) sometimes flavored with honey. There's also Axoumit or Gouder wine, tella (a beer made from sprouted cereals) and tedj (a light alcohol made from a mixture of leaves and honey). And let's not forget the famous palm wine, made from the doum palm, a very common tree found mainly inland.
