Djibouti

A Somali and Djiboutian fragrant basmati rice dish cooked in meat broth and seasoned with xawaash, the defining East African Horn spice blend, with caramelised onion and raisins providing its characteristic sweet-savory counterpoint.

A leavened, pan-fried spiced flatbread from Djibouti and Somalia, defined by fenugreek in its batter and served at breakfast with honey, ghee, or oil.

A large, round, spongy fermented flatbread made from sorghum or teff flour, cooked exclusively on one side on a preheated griddle until the top surface is covered with open honeycomb pores and the crumb is lightly sour from wild fermentation.

Steamed Persian-style long-grain white rice cooked in two stages to be fluffy and separate, with a prized crisp golden crust (tahdig) at the bottom of the pot, eaten in Djibouti with Afar and Yemeni influences.

Black-eyed peas simmered with tomato, onion, and cumin into a soft, savory stew of the Horn of Africa.

A Djiboutian slow-simmered soup of goat tripe and mixed offal in a deeply spiced broth, eaten as a fortifying everyday main dish.

A Horn of Africa dish of bone-in goat pieces slow-braised or dry-fried until deeply tender, seasoned with xawaash — a warm, complex Somali spice blend — and anchored by long-caramelized onions that provide sweetness and body.

A Djiboutian dish of rice cooked in spiced camel or goat milk, finished with a topping of sugar.

A lacy, porous, spongy fermented pancake made from sorghum (or teff) batter that is cooked on one side only on a hot griddle, producing a honeycomb-textured surface from fermentation-driven bubbles.

A long-simmered bone broth built from lamb or goat on the bone, seasoned with aromatic spices, that forms the liquid backbone of Yemeni and Horn of Africa meals — served as a standalone soup, a bread accompaniment, or a cooking medium for rice.

Muqmad is a Somali and Djiboutian preserved meat of cubed sun-dried beef or camel fried and stored submerged in its own clarified fat.

A deep-fried triangular pastry of thin wheat dough wrapped around a spiced filling of minced meat or lentils, eaten especially as an iftar snack across the Horn of Africa.

A spiced black tea beverage traditionally brewed with cardamom, clove, cinnamon, and ginger, served hot in small portions as an everyday drink and gesture of hospitality.

Skoudehkaris is a spiced rice dish slow‑cooked with goat or lamb, onions, tomatoes and a blend of aromatic spices, traditionally prepared in a single pot and served as a main course in Djiboutian cuisine.

Suqaar is a quick‑sautéed cubed meat (goat, beef, or camel) seasoned with onions, peppers, and the aromatic spice blend xawaash, typical of Somali and Djiboutian cuisine.

A dense, glossy, gelatinous Somali sweet of cornstarch and sugar cooked with ghee and perfumed with cardamom and saffron.