Eritrean Cuisine

Eritrean cuisine is a flavourful and communal tradition sharing much with neighbouring Ethiopia, and enlivened by a distinctive Italian legacy from the country's colonial past. At its heart is injera, a large, soft, slightly sour flatbread made from teff, spread with an array of spicy stews and eaten with the hands from a shared platter. Chief among them is zigni, a fiery red beef stew rich with the berbere spice blend, alongside lentil, vegetable and greens dishes that make for wonderful vegetarian feasts. The Italian influence shines in Eritrea's love of pasta and, above all, its excellent espresso and café culture, especially in Asmara. Warm, spiced and shared, it is generous food full of character.

What you actually see

• Injera - the soft, sour teff flatbread shared by all.
• Zigni - the fiery red berbere-spiced beef stew.
• The vegetable platters - the lentil, greens and vegetable dishes.
• The Italian legacy - the beloved pasta and excellent espresso.

When to go

Year-round; Eritrean food is enjoyed across the country and through the wide Eritrean diaspora and its restaurants. Injera with fiery zigni and vegetable stews, eaten from a shared platter, is the signature experience, rounded off with excellent Asmara-style espresso.

Honest expectations

Eating injera by hand from a communal platter is central to the experience and richly rewarding once embraced, and the berbere-spiced stews can be genuinely fiery. As a flavourful, communal tradition of spiced stews and sour injera bread, enriched by a distinctive Italian love of pasta and espresso, though, Eritrean cuisine is a genuine and generous delight.

Nearby

The eateries and espresso bars of Asmara, and Eritrean restaurants abroad, serve it.