#58 Djibouti
- Jen
- Jan 29, 2023
- 3 min read
Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and tiny little Djibouti make up the region known as the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is a 20 mile stone’s throw from Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, just across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. This strait effectively forms the border between Asia and Africa and is a very important shipping route between the Indian Ocean and the Med, via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
The country of Djibouti is named after its capital city, Djibouti, located on the coast. Under the country’s 19th and 20th century French rule as French Somaliland, the city of Djibouti boomed into a bustling port metropolis due to its strategic shipping refuelling location, and in providing neighbouring land-locked Ethiopia with access to the sea.
Djibouti is a multi-ethnic country, primarily made up of Somali, Afar (people from a north-eastern part of Ethiopia) and Arab people, which results in Djiboutian cuisine being more diverse than some of the other African countries I’ve explored so far. The countries in this region have some dishes in common, including various breads and snacks like sambusas (see below). Djiboutian cuisine also has French, south Asian and Yemeni influences, with Middle Eastern spices providing flavour in many dishes.
Soups and stews make up most of the everyday meals as they can be prepared in a single pot, traditionally over a fire.
A classic example of a Djiboutian one-pot meal and unquestionably the national dish of Djibouti is skoudehkaris. Skoudehkaris is a jollof rice (similar to riz gras in Burkina Faso) prepared with lamb and rice in an aromatic tomato sauce with cardamom, cloves, cumin and cinnamon. (You may also use spices beginning with other letters of the alphabet.) It sounds wonderful!
As the highly populated capital city is coastal, fish is a significant part of the daily diet for many. Grilled Yemeni-style fish has become a restaurant staple in Djibouti City, where a whole fish is marinated in a chilli pepper paste and cooked in a tandoori-style oven. Marake kaloune is a humble one-pot stew where chunks of white fish are cooked with aubergine, potatoes and other vegetables in a tomato-based sauce flavoured with tamarind. Like with skoudeharis, rice is also usually added to the pot to create a full meal. Again, sounds delicious.
Much of Djibouti’s food is imported but sheep, camels and goats are reared domestically for meat. Another classic Djiboutian one-pot is fah-fah, also known as “la soup djiboutienne”, which is a thin stew of goat meat, vegetables and green chillies, where the goat is the star of the show.
Canjeero or laxoox is a fermented teff or sorghum flour flat bread, browned on one side and with spongy bubbles on the other side. This pancake-like bread is served with most main meals in the Horn of Africa region and is perfect for mopping up the flavourful juices from the soups and stews. Crispy, flaky flatbreads, a bit like Indian parathas, called sabayad, could be served instead and often come with lentil side dishes or hot sauces.
For dessert, Djiboutians enjoy banana fritters, a concoction of mashed banana mixed with flour, fried, and dusted with sugar and cinnamon or nutmeg. As you will be aware by now, I detest bananas…so we’re going to enjoy a fried savoury snack instead.
Sambusas
Sambusas are little fried filled pastries eaten as a snack or starter in the Horn of Africa countries. They are a close relative of the samosas we all know and love to be Indian. However, the origins of these crispy trilateral pastries can be traced back to 10th century central Asian samas before they made their way to the Indian sub-continent. In the Middle East, they are known as known as sambousek and eaten during Ramadan.
I’m not sure whether the Horn of Africa’s sambusas arrived via the Middle Eastern sambouseks or Indian samosas, but I do know that they’re usually filled with spiced lamb and served with zuuqar, a thick chilli pepper tomato sauce.
Sambusas filled with Middle Eastern spiced minced lamb were joyously crispy thanks to Jus Roll filo sheets, and the homemade zuuqar was the perfect accompaniment.
Djboutiful!
Next on my list: BURUNDI!
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