Eritrean Cuisine

The photo to the left depicts a traditional Eritrean meal. This photo was taken at the Blue Bird (formerly the Blue Nile) restaurant near our office in Asmara. On this day, we had "shiro" with vegetables and "spris" with fileto.

Spris just means "mixed," so I would assume the name has something to do with the mixture of spices that go into the dish. "Fileto" is some sort of cut of meat. I don't think they even care what kind of meat it actually is. I would guess this was probably goat because it is most common. The "spris" is flavored primarily with berbere, which is by far the most popular spice in Eritrea. I'm not sure what berbere actually is, but it is red and spicy and pretty tasty. Berbere is also the most important ingredient in zigni, another common meat dish in Eritrea.



The orange stuff is shiro. Shiro is made from dried and ground up chick peas. Once the chick peas are ground, they are mixed with berbere to make an orange powder. To prepare shiro, you simply mix the powder in a pot with water and chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers. Shiro is the one Eritrean dish I have learned to prepare, but it's a good one.

Eritreans eat with their hands. In this case, the dishes are served on a bed of injera, a type of flat bread. The injera is used both as a filler, which is does quite well, and as a utensil. Injera is a sour dough bread, which is traditionally made from a grain called teff. However, Eritreans will use sorghum when they're desperate. See the holes? Those are called the eyes. Ideally injera should have lots of eyes, but I'm not sure why. I do, however, have to agree that it tastes better with lots of eyes.



As mentioned in a previous post, injera is made in a kind of stove or oven called a mogogo. Since that last post, I have learned a little more about James' mogogo project, and it sounds really fascinating. Apparently the man he is working with at the Ministry of Energy and Mines here in Asmara won some sort of award for his energy efficient design. I actually heard rumors that it was a Nobel Prize, but I can't find any independent confirmation of this. I also heard that he met Bill Gates as a result, so maybe the award came from him. In case anyone is interested in learning a little more, here is an article on these mogogos written by the former Reuters reporter in Asmara.

Although most traditional Eritrean dishes are served with injera, there are some that are not. For example, "ful" is a dish made from mashed beans mixed with oil, berbere, onions, tomatoes, hot peppers, and either boiled eggs or cheese. Ful with eggs is known as ful masala. I don't eat that one. Ful is eaten with bread resembling dinner rolls. You rip the bread into pieces and dip them in the ful. Ful is actually a lot like bean dip. It is typically eaten for breakfast or lunch, although we did have some for dinner in Tesseney.

Fritata (scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, and peppers) is also a common breakfast food and is eaten with the same kind of bread used for ful.

Eritrean food is very similar, if not identical to Ethiopian food. So, if you've ever been to an Ethiopian restaurant, you should already have a pretty good idea what Eritrean food like. But some Eritreans have told me that Ethiopians are better cooks than Eritreans; that they care more about the food they prepare. This is saying a lot, because most Eritreans will never admit any sort of Ethiopian superiority.

In addition to all of the traditional food, Italian food is also readily available. In fact, the two most enduring influences from the colonial period seem to be the architecture and the food. Anyway, pasta can be found almost anywhere you go. I even had pasta in Barentu and Senafe. But Eritreans do pizza particularly well, which is really nice.

That's it for now. I'll try to come back to beverages, with a focus on coffee ceremonies, another day. Happy Holidays!

The Next Generation


I love Eritrean children! They are so adorable. I particularly love how gregarious they all are. They don't see many white people, particularly in the villages. So when they do see us, they always want to talk to us and practice the English they learn in school.

Whether I'm walking down the streets of Asmara or through a rural village, the children always come up and say hi. They also ask, "how are you?" and "what is your name?" Unfortunately, they never understand my name when I answer them, so they continue to ask. And no matter how many times I answer, "my name is Hillary," they think I'm ignoring them. Sometimes the older ones will get upset, but most of the time it's fine. But I generally prefer when they ask how I am, because they understand both "good" and "fine."

In the villages, the children will also ask whether we are "Taliano" or Italian. Then they ask us for biscotti.



Some children, especially in the villages, like to shake hands with the white people. I say "selam" (hello in Tigrinya) when I shake their hands, and they get very excited. Of course, then some of them think I actually speak Tigrinya, and my vocabulary only consists of about 25 words, 10 of which are numbers.



I always try to photograph the kids when we visit villages on the Hash. Often times, they tell me not to. But as long as I can convince one child to pose for a picture, all I have to do is show that picture to the others in order to convince them that they all want their pictures taken. The village kids have so little exposure to technology that it's very exciting for them.

On the downside, kids in the villages always ask us for money. Even the ones who can't speak any English seem to know how to say "money, money." Of course, I never give them any, because begging is fairly rare in Eritrea, and I wouldn't want to encourage that kind of behavior.



Anna scolded me one day when I told her I wanted to steal a little kid and take him or her back to the States with me. But that was before she met our friend Genet's cousin Esphrem (sp?). When we left Genet's house, Esphrem started to cry and wanted to come with us because he didn't want Anna to leave. His mom had to hold him back. Later, Genet told us that he said "he has other dolls, but none of them are as pretty as Anna," and he was angry with his mom for holding him back when we left.



This is my little friend. I don't even know her name, but she was the daughter of either the owner or manager of the hotel we stayed at in Senafe this week. We couldn't communicate with each other, but somehow we became friends. She held my hand and walked me from one side of the hotel to the other. I wanted to entertain her, but I didn't really have anything with me. So I showed her my slideshow from my road trip from Alaska, complete with bears and everything. I really wonder what she thought of all these crazy pictures from Canada. I mean, Senafe doesn't even have telephones. (More about Senafe later.) I guess I'll never know.

I should have done this earlier--like in my first post--, but here is a map of Eritrea. Since most people outside of this part of the world know very little about Eritrea, I figured this might be a nice addition to this blog. Hopefully it will help readers understand where my stories are coming from, particularly when I travel outside of Asmara.

Hi all. Today I have decided to diverge a little bit from the usual subject of this blog and post some photographs taken before I arrived in Eritrea. I am not going to write much. This post is really just about sharing a few pictures

In September, before getting on a plane to Asmara, I spent several days at one of the other ends of the earth: the Yukon Territory in Canada. More isolated than any country in Africa, the Yukon Territory covers over 482,000 square kilometers but has a population of only 31,500 people, over 23,000 of whom live in Whitehorse.


My friend Callie and I spent about three days in the Yukon Territory during our drive from Anchorage, Alaska to Sacramento, California. These pictures were taken during the drive. In addition to some amazing scenery, we saw three bears, caribou, bison, a lynx, and several swans.


For those who are just dying to hear more about Eritrea, I have a number of posts in the works. Aaron, I will get to the food as soon as I get some pictures. If you've never had injera before, it's difficult to expain without a visual aid. (Americans have had the reverse problem trying to explain tortillas to Eritreans.)

The Hash: Part II


This Saturday's hash was one of the best I've been on. Three of my friends who don't usually join us (Diane, Genet, and Soe) came along. And we had a great array of food, including brownies, cookies, and Pringles. Since Eritreans don't really snack, I've noticed that I miss American snack foods more than anything else.

A young engineer from San Francisco, who on Saturday had only been in Eritrea for four days, also joined us. He is apparently consulting for some branch of the Eritrean government, helping to develop better mogogos (Eritrean stoves used to make injera, a flat bread I will discuss in a future post). In Asmara, people have electric mogogos, but James will apparently be working in the villages to improve the efficiency of wood burning mogogos. It seems like the strangest possible project for an American engineer, because what American has ever seen a mogogo before? Anyway, James is currently out in one of the villages by the coast learning all about them.



The highlight of this week's hash, however, was climbing to the top of the lone peak in the vast valley in which we were walking. It was really a pointless excercise, as the hill could have been easily avoided, but the view from the top was worth the climb. Here are Soe and Genet scaling the "mountain."

To answer Aaron's question, yes, I think the absence of crime in Eritrea stems from something in the culture. Although those crimes that are committed are severely punished, the severity of punishment does not seem to be responsible for the lack of crime. For example, as I have been learning during my research for work, in the aftermath with the war with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000, chaos reigned in the formerly occupied territories. The police stations had all been looted of supplies, including weaponry, and in many cases were destroyed. Moreover, many of the police had been displaced with the rest of the population. Thus, they were prevented from performing their functions for several months after the end of the war. Nevertheless, there is no evidence of criminal activity during this period of apparent lawlessness. Just compare that to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It's amazing how different the pictures look.

And just to give you an idea about the rarity of violent crime among Eritreans, here is an AP article about a recent murder in Oakland that shocked the Eritrean community in the Bay Area.

Asmara's Vegetable and Spice Market


The vegetable and spice market in the center of Asmara is a cornacopia of fresh produce, grains, and spices. Open every day but Sunday, the market hosts as many as 50 different vendors selling everything from guavas to dried chickpeas. And although many of these items may also be purchased in the small grocery stores scattered throughout the city, the market is really the only place worth going for these sorts of raw materials.

Unfortunately, because of my work schedule, I can only ever go to the market on Saturdays, the busiest day of the week. When Anna and I do go, we tend to stock up on items such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, and oranges, all staples in any Eritrean's diet. But a lot of other items are also readily available. For example, tropical fruits such as guavas and papayas are dirt cheap. Personally, I am waiting for mango season. Those are supposed to be amazing.

I haven't ventured into the grains much. Although I know what to do with rice, many of the grains, sold at the market in bulk, must be milled before they can actually be used. On the other hand, flour that has already been ground is proving difficult to find.



I enjoy shopping at the market because the selection cannot be beat. If you aren't satisfied with one vendor's tomatoes, there are 15 others you can try. Also, if a vendor recognizes you as a previous customer, some times they will give you things for free.


The one downside is that the market is where Asmara's few beggars hang out. So, while you are trying to select a pumpkin, someone is always standing behind you asking for money. And no matter how many times you tell them no, they will only shut up if the vendors tell them to leave. Fortunately, unlike in many cities in Africa, you never have to worry about having your pocket picked or your purse snatched at the market in Asmara. Crime is largely an unknown concept in Eritrea. I honestly think its beneath them.

The Hash

The Hash is a weekly institution in Asmara, which bears little resemblance to Hashs in other parts of the world. In Asmara, Hashers meet every Saturday at 3pm and drive to some rural location outside of Asmara for a hike followed by a tailgate party featuring beer and imported snacks. Most of the Hashers are expats (like myself?), but there are a few Eritreans who regularly attend. In particular, a man named Woldu, who taught at the University of Asmara until it was closed this year, is responsible for selecting the trails and guiding the group through the Eritrean countryside.

Asmara's Hash seems to have only two things in common with Hashing in other parts of the world: it is almost exclusively an expat activity and it involves beer and food. In contrast to the Hash here, most Hashes apparently involve running on a trail marked by a "Hare" and trying to catch the Hare. Although each is different, they often involve drinking beer during the run and singing vulgar songs. Since I have no experience with other Hashes, I won't try to explain the concept further. But if you're interested, you can check out the Hash House Harriers homepage (the Asmara club is actually known as the Asmara Hash House Hikers, which is a first indication of how different we are) or the explanation of their history from Wikipedia.

(Bill, if Anchorage doesn't have a club yet, I think starting one should be your next running project. I can't think of a better Bill activity than running and singing at the same time.)



But now back to the Asmara Hash. I have now been on something like five Hashes. I would have gone to more, but I have worked at least three Saturdays since I've been here. The Hash is a great opportunity to get out of Asmara's city limits and to explore some of the countryside and small villages on the plateau. Unfortunately, since foreigners must now have travel permits to leave Asmara, many of the trails that Hashers used to frequent are out of bounds. We are limited to those trails located inside the checkpoints.



The composition of the Hash changes from week to week. On at least one Hash, we must have had at least 20 participants. But most weeks there are usually about 6 to 8 people in the group. I find that I have met some of the coolest expats in Eritrea on the Hash. For example, VSOs often come on the Hash. VSOs are volunteer teachers, mostly from the UK, who live in small villages throughout Eritrea and either teach children or train Eritrean teachers. Because they live in the villages, they all learn Tigrinya because they have to. I am very jealous of them because I will never learn Tigrinya since everyone in Asmara speaks English. The VSOs are a tough group. In addition to speaking the local language, they live in villages without electricity, little or no running water, and survive on a local teacher's salary of 500 nakfa a month (about $35 and approximately the cost of 5-10 restaurant meals in Asmara).



I learned last week that the Hash in Asmara has been in existence, off and on, for the past twenty years. Unfortunately, it may not survive to see the end of this month. Brian, the man who is currently in charge, is leaving Eritrea for good on the 23rd or 24th of December. And there is no one here who can really take over. Of the many people who occasionally attend the Hash, only a few are dependable. It seems that the best two people to take over are Woldu and this American teacher named Courtney, but neither of them has a car. And, not only does the organizer really need a car, but he or she really needs an SUV in order to transport several people over the terrible roads we often have to take to reach the trails. Unfortunately, those Hashers who do have proper vehicles are not dependable enough to be put in charge.



So, Anna and I are determined to get as much out of this institution as we can before it ends at the end of the month. So far, some of my favorite pictures have come from the Hash. The ones included here are just a sampling. The pictures I have taken of children on the Hash will be featured in a future post.

At home in Asmara: Part 2

My office in Asmara is located on one of the city's very few main streets. Unfortunately, I can never remember what it is called. Unlike many of the streets in Asmara, however, residents actually know the name of this street.

My office is not located downtown, but it is towards downtown. The neighborhood is dominated by office buildings and the service industry. That is, we are located within a few blocks of several hotels, restaurants, and bars.

The office itself is located in a building with a bank and a few other government offices. In addition to myself, Anna, and Diane, we have five Eritrean attorneys, an office manager, and Simon, who does various things but is most valued for his ability to fix computers. I sit in an office affectionately known as the fish bowl. I guess it was formerly a sun room. I am fortunate enough to have a very large window to the outside world, which means that my office gets warmer than the rest. On the downside, on the other side of me is a huge window that looks into the central room of the office where both Yohannes, the office manager, and Anna sit.

The office building is entered from a back parking lot, and there is a guard to lives back there. The gate to the parking lot is locked in the evenings and on weekends, and the guard really doesn't like it that we often work overtime. He is constantly either locking us in or out. He even demanded at one point that we leave the premises, but we informed him that we have every right to stay late. Apparently one of the previous guards carried an axe, and Lea and a couple of interns locked themselves in the office and refused to come out.

Ooo, and Elsa's here with tea and pastries. Elsa lives somewhere right around our building, and she comes to our office every day to sell tea and pastries both for breakfast and as a snack in the afternoon. She is a very industrious woman, who must make a lot of money despite how cheap her products are. In fact, she even brought us tea when we were working weekends during the filing.

Elsa's great. She is the only one in this country making an effort to teach me Tigrinya. So far I have learned almost none at all, but she has taught me to count to ten, say thank you and you're welcome, ask how some one is doing and answer the question, and say tired, hungry, and no problem.

I don't have much more to say about the office. So, I will close this post with one last picture. Both of these pictures were taken from the balcony outside my office.