Last Updated: August 13, 2021
Traditional Food In Djibouti
Djibouti sits on the northeastern coast of Africa on the Gulf of Aden at the bottom of the Red Sea. It has been a key port for trade for thousands of years and the traditional food in Djibouti has been heavily influenced by many different countries.
Djibouti was once occupied by France and the flavors are noticeable, as are Indian spices, and of course, the traditional food of the countries that border Djibouti are also featured – Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and Yemen.
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Fah-fah
The people from Djibouti were originally pastoral and nomadic, a lot like their Somalian cousins. Their palettes prefer the taste of meat such as goat, lamb, or camel rather than fish or seafood, despite having a rich coastline.
One of the traditional foods of Djibouti that everyone has to try is Fah-fah. Fah-fah is a stew made with vegetables, chilies, and meat. Usually, you’ll find the meat used is goat but it could also be lamb or camel.
It’s stewed for quite a while to ensure the meat is tender and served as a kind of broth. It’s a little salty and spicy but incredibly delicious. Fah-fah is traditionally served with canjeero, which is a spongy bread similar to injera you’d find in Ethiopia which is lovely to soak up the delicious sauce with.
Skudahkharis
Skudahkharis is pretty much Djibouti’s favorite lamb stew and is one of their national dishes. Skudahkharis is usually served during Eid al-Adha and the stew is made without vegetables but with lamb, rice, and spices instead.
It’s traditionally served with lamb but don’t be surprised to find it with fish, beef, or chicken in there instead. You’ll usually get some Laxoox on the side, a kind of flatbread like Injera from Ethiopia but it can also come with a butter sauce and dyed rice.
Sambussa
Sambussa, also known as samosa, is probably a dish you have heard of as it’s available pretty much everywhere in the world these days. In Djibouti, sambussa is usually made with onions, vegetables and meat all rolled up in delicious pastries and deep-fried.
They are the perfect snack while you’re traveling around Djibouti and are pretty much available anywhere. You can also have them as an appetizer before your main meal and are often served with a veggie tomato or spicy pepper sauce.
Banana Fritters Djibouti Style
If there is one dessert you have to try while in Djibouti, it’s their banana fritters. These sweet treats are cooked with immense care being a traditional dessert and you’ll find them in Djibouti city cooked with cinnamon, milk, and eggs.
The original Djiboutian banana fritters are a little different and feature just bananas, flour, and nutmeg then dusted with honey or sugar.
Trying them both is a must and you’ll find out which one you prefer pretty quickly.
Harira
Harira is a delicious thick soup that is eaten traditionally at night at the end of a fasting day. It’s made using lentils, tomatoes, flour, chickpeas, tomato paste, meat (chicken, lamb, or goat), onions, celery, and some spices like cumin and saffron. Then some pasta is added to stew too and is usually topped off with a squeeze of lemon.
You’ll usually be served this along with some traditional laxoox flatbread. The soup is absolutely delicious and it’s extremely filling so don’t order any mains before you have finished the soup as chances are you might be a little too full to handle a goat stew afterward.
Mukbaza
Mukbaza is a folded bread that is then cut up and mixed with dates or banana with honey and then served with nuts as a kind of puree. You might think that Mukbaza might be served as a dessert or an accompaniment to coffee but it’s actually made as a side for a fish dish cooked on charcoal.
The taste combinations might seem a little strange to western palettes but it’s worth trying out before you decide not to.
Skoudehkaris
Skoudehkaris is a kind of lamb tagine but in a Djobutian style. It’s made by mixing lamb, rice, crushed tomatoes, and a bunch of spices into a pot with some water and letting the lamb stew until it’s delicious and tender.
Skoudehkaris is an incredibly popular dish in Djibouti and you’ll find it everywhere you go but especially in the capital Djibouti City.
Laxoox
Laxoox is the staple food of Djibouti and it’s pretty much served with every meal in Djibouti. If you have ever eaten Eritrean or Ethiopian food, you should think of laxoox as Djibouti’s injera. You’ll actually find laxoox in Ethiopia and Somalia too.
Laxoox can be eaten at any time of the day. As a kind of toast with honey or butter for breakfast or to dip into the main meal at lunch or dinner such as a stew or lentils.
Laxoox is made using teff flour, just like injera, along with some sweetened water and then it’s cooked until it goes gold on the surface. It’s actually very nutritious and has a delicious sponge-like texture to it.
Sabayaad
Sabayaad is another kind of flatbread. It looks a lot like a chapati or msemen that you’ll find in India and Morocco. Sabayaad is made with a mixture of salt, water, and flour which is then made into a dough, rolled out, cut into squares, and fried – like a chapati.
It can be served for breakfast like pancakes along with bananas and honey, or with a stew at lunch or dinner, and even with a salad.
There is another version of sabayaad known as fadira. The sabayaad is filled with meat or chicken along with onions and served, kinda like a quesadilla without the cheese.
Xalwo & Other Sweet Treats
Xalwo literally means sweet in Djiboutian and is usually cooked up during weddings or Eid. You can also find other delicious sweet treats like mandazi which is a fried sweet dough you find all over Africa or a booskoot which is a kind of Somali biscuit.
Kaak-kaak is one of the most delicious sweet treats you can find in Djibouti and is made from dough stuffed with dates and baked in milk with vanilla, nigella seeds, nutmeg, and dusted with sugar and/or sesame seeds.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
