Somalia

Somali cuisine reflects a nomadic, herding heritage and Indian Ocean trade, spiced rice (bariis), grilled meats, and the surprising love of banana with every savory meal. Camel meat, canjeero flatbread, and cardamom-scented dishes define the table.

The seasoning that ties Somali cooking together is xawaash, a blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and more, whose name and form came from Yemeni hawa'ij across the water. Canjeero, also called laxoox, is the fermented sourdough pancake eaten at breakfast, a lighter cousin of Ethiopian injera made mainly from sorghum or a flour mix.

Pasta is Somali food now. Baasto arrived with Italian colonial rule from the late nineteenth century, took hold hardest in the south that was Italian Somaliland, and was rebuilt around Somali spicing: suugo, the sauce, is tomato cooked down with xawaash and meat, and a banana is served alongside to be chopped in, exactly as it is with rice.

Small cubes of meat sautéed with potato, peppers, and Somali xawaash spice, a quick everyday dish.