Somali Recipes

Somali cooking reflects a pastoral and maritime heritage on the Horn of Africa, shaped by Indian Ocean trade. Meat from goats, camels, sheep and cattle is central, and milk, especially camel milk, is a daily drink. Rice, pasta and flatbreads are the main starches: rice is perfumed with cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in bariis, pasta is served with a meaty sauce, and canjeero, a spongy pancake, is the usual breakfast. A spice blend called xawaash and fresh green hot sauce add flavor, and meals often come with banana, lime and raw onion on the side. Sambuus are fried for Ramadan, halwa and spiced tea close celebrations, and food is usually shared from a large platter and eaten with the right hand or a spoon. Along the coast, fish and seafood appear more often, and Yemeni and Italian influences show in the rice dishes and the pasta.

Staple ingredients

• rice
• goat, camel and beef
• wheat flour
• adzuki beans
• milk
• cumin, cardamom and cloves
• onions
• limes

• Breakfast 1
• Soups 1
• Main Dishes 5
• Breads 1
• Desserts 1
• Snacks 1
• Drinks 1
• Sauces, Dips and Condiments 1

Breakfast

• Canjeero (Somali Spongy Pancake)SO45 minMedium

Soups

• Maraq (Somali Beef and Vegetable Soup)SO2 h 5 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Baasto iyo Suugo (Somali Spaghetti with Spiced Meat Sauce)SO1 h 5 minEasy
• Bariis Iskukaris (Somali Spiced Rice with Meat)SO2 h 30 minMedium
• Hilib Ari (Somali Slow-Roasted Goat)SO3 h 50 minEasy
• Suqaar (Somali Sautéed Diced Beef)SO45 minEasy
• Cambuulo (Somali Adzuki Beans with Sweet Ghee)SO1 h 40 minEasy

Breads

• Muufo (Somali Cornbread Flatbread)SO55 minMedium

Desserts

• Xalwo (Somali Cardamom Halwa)SO55 minMedium

Snacks

• Sambuus (Somali Spiced Meat Samosas)SO1 h 30 minMedium

Drinks

• Qaxwo (Somali Spiced Coffee)SO17 minEasy

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

• Bisbaas (Somali Green Hot Sauce)SO10 minEasy