Sudanese Cuisine

Sudanese cuisine sits at a rich crossroads where the flavours of the Arab world, the Nile and sub-Saharan Africa meet, a hearty and famously hospitable tradition. A beloved everyday dish is ful medames, slow-cooked fava beans dressed with oil, and the table centres on hearty stews and sauces, from meaty and okra-thickened mullah to nutty peanut-rich sauces, mopped up with kisra, thin sorghum flatbread, or eaten with rice and bread. Grilled meats, fresh Nile fish, salads and dips round out the meal, all crowned by Sudan's celebrated hospitality around drink, sweet spiced tea and rich, cardamom-scented coffee poured with ceremony. It is warm, generous and deeply welcoming food.

What you actually see

• Ful medames - the slow-cooked fava beans with oil.
• Mullah stews - the hearty meat and okra sauces.
• Kisra - the thin sorghum flatbread.
• The tea and coffee - the sweet spiced tea and cardamom coffee.

When to go

Year-round; Sudanese food is enjoyed across the country and through the wide Sudanese diaspora. Ful medames, hearty mullah stews with kisra flatbread, and the celebrated sweet spiced tea and cardamom coffee are the signatures to seek out.

Honest expectations

Sudanese cooking is hearty and staple-based rather than elaborate, with its warmth resting as much on the country's legendary hospitality as on the dishes themselves. As a generous crossroads tradition of the Nile, from ful medames and rich stews to sorghum flatbread and famous spiced tea and coffee, though, Sudanese cuisine is a genuinely welcoming and satisfying delight.

Nearby

The eateries and tea stalls of Khartoum, and Sudanese restaurants abroad, serve it.