https://www.chefspencil.com
  • Login
  • Register
  • Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Dressings, Dips, Spreads
    • Dessert
    • Pork Recipes
    • Side Dish
  • Chefs
  • Food News
    • News
    • Guides
      • Product Reviews
      • Gifts & Product Guides
      • Food Substitutes
        • Cheese Substitutes
  • Food Atlas
    • Asian Cuisines
    • African Cuisines
    • European Cuisines
      • Central European Cuisine
      • Northern European Cuisine
      • Eastern European Cuisine
      • Southern European Cuisine
    • Middle East Cuisine
    • South American Cuisine
    • North American Cuisine
    • Central American Foods
    • Caribbean Cuisine
  • Culinary Schools
  • About Us
  • Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Dressings, Dips, Spreads
    • Dessert
    • Pork Recipes
    • Side Dish
  • Chefs
  • Food News
    • News
    • Guides
      • Product Reviews
      • Gifts & Product Guides
      • Food Substitutes
        • Cheese Substitutes
  • Food Atlas
    • Asian Cuisines
    • African Cuisines
    • European Cuisines
      • Central European Cuisine
      • Northern European Cuisine
      • Eastern European Cuisine
      • Southern European Cuisine
    • Middle East Cuisine
    • South American Cuisine
    • North American Cuisine
    • Central American Foods
    • Caribbean Cuisine
  • Culinary Schools
  • About Us
  • Home
  • African Cuisines
  • Top 10 Most Popular Foods in Eritrea

Top 10 Most Popular Foods in Eritrea

Posted on Oct 14th, 2022
by Semere Zeratsion
Categories:
  • African Cuisines
Most Popular Foods in Eritrea

Eritrea, a well-known country of East Africa, is located on the banks of the Red Sea, where it shares borders with Ethiopia, Sudan, and Djibouti.

The capital, Asmara, is known for its colonial Italian buildings, and is a clean and beautiful city recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Eritrea is a nation comprised of nine ethnic groups living peacefully together, and Orthodox and Muslim religions enjoying respect and love.

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and retains many cultural influences, especially in cooking, for example, injera. Injera and bread are staples used all the time. Injera is made with taff, or sorghum and wheat in rural areas, and bread is made with wheat.

Another common food is stew (tsebhi), of which there are different varieties, though they will all use onion, tomato, garlic, and oil. Here, we introduce you to the delicious, organic, most popular traditional Eritrean foods.

1. Fata (Bread Crumbs)

Fata is one of the most popular dishes in Eritrea and is often served at breakfast or for a snack. The procedure is very simple. First, we prepare a stew for the fata. Fata stew is made by sautéing red onion and tomato until cooked, then adding pepper. 

We then add the fata stew to sliced bread and mash it with spoons. Fata is also a fasting dish made with sliced bread and stew, while non-fasting Fata includes yogurt and eggs.

2. Ful

Ful
Credits: @howtocookgreatfood

Ful is another Eritrean favorite that is served at breakfast time. Ful stew is made just like Fata using red onion, tomato, and pepper but the main ingredient is beans. In many cases, Ful is made in a special traditional clay pot, though a metal pot can also be used.

The first thing is to cook the beans in boiling water. These are then added to the prepared onion, tomato, and pepper stew and cooked some more. Ful is mainly served with bread, though it can also be served ith injera.

Ful is a similar to ful medames, a popular Egyptian food.

3. Shlsi (Scrambled Eggs with Pepper)

Scrambled eggs with pepper are another popular breakfast which is very tasty and healthy. This dish is easy to make and is mostly served during non-fasting times.

It is usually made with egg, onion, tomato, and pepper. But to make the special Enquaqho shlsi, we add yogurt, unripe tomatoes, unripe onions, chilis, and lemons.

4. Ge’at (Porridge) 

Ge’at (Porridge) 
Credits: @sophidoo_

Ge’at is a breakfast dish throughout Eritrean. It is seen as an energizing dish and is served to women who have just given birth to strengthen their body. Porridge is made by mixing flour with warm water and simmering until cooked.

Once it has cooled, a deep well is made in the middle and filled with a sautéed mixture of pepper, butter, curd or cheese. For fasting times, the curd and butter is left out.

Porridge is often considered a family meal because it brings all the family together to eat. The color of porridge differs according to the type of flour used, for example, wheat (most common), barley, sorghum, buckwheat, and taff.

5. Tsebhi Derho (Chicken Stew)

Tsebhi Derho (Chicken stew)
Credits: @kallumbest

It is not an exaggeration to say that tsebhi derho is one of the most popular dishes in Eritrea. It is not made every day but it offered in honor of a loved one or when guests arrive. It is seen as a symbol of a hard-working woman and mothers make sure they teach their daughters to make this dish so they aren’t derided by neighbors.

A chicken has 12 parts and in Eritrea they are all known by a different name. One is feresegna, which is eaten by the head of the household or special guest. First, onions, tomato, pepper, and oil are cooked up together, adding butter when preparing it for guests, and then the chicken is added. Once ready, it is topped with boiled eggs placed on top.

Injera is the most important accompaniment, and bread is often served on the side. If you ask Eritreans what their favorite food is, they will more often than not say tsebhi derho, because it is very delicious.

6. Qeyh Tsebhi (Red Stew)

Qeyh means red in Tigrinya, and the name is taken from its color. Red stew is almost as popular as tsebhi derho and is often eaten for lunch or dinner.

Qeyh tsebhi is made much like chicken stew. First, cook the onion, tomato, and pepper, then add the chopped meat and cook until done. Red stew is a delicious meal served with a plate of injera.

7. Shiro

Shiro
Credits: @urbanfarmie

This is one of the most popular cultural dishes in Eritrea often served during fasting and on Wednesdays and Fridays by the Orthodox as these are their fasting days.

Shiro is made from ground beans, chickpeas or peas. Spices such as garlic and ginger are added to enhance the taste. Onion, tomato, oil, and water are cooked, then shro powder is added, and it is served with injera. Shiro is more popular during the winter, when chilis are added.

8. Tsebhi Birsen (Lentil Stew) 

Tsebhi birsen (Lentil stew) 
Credits: @mantratable

Another popular fasting food, especially in the rural parts of Eritrea, is tsebhi birsen.

This is prepared by cooking lentils and adding onions, tomatoes, garlic, pepper, and oil. This dish is a very popular fasting food or for events and parties in both the countryside and the city.

9. Tsebhi Dinich (Potato Stew)

Tsebhi Dinich (Potato stew)
Credits: @bettyethiocuisine

Tsebhi dinich is another fasting dish, especially in rural areas. Potatoes are washed thoroughly and added to a prepared stew of onion, tomato, pepper, and oil. It is common to add garlic once cooked to make it even more delicious.

10. Qulwa (Roast beef) 

Qulwa (Roast beef) 
Credits: @diegotan73

Another popular and delicious dish that can be eaten at any time of the day, breakfast, lunch or dinner is qulwa. After cooking onions, tomatoes, garlic, chili, and oil, the chopped meat is added and it is all put in to roast. It is eaten with injera or bread, according to choice, but injera is most common.


Related: 30 African Foods that You Need to Try

Top African Foods

Related: Most Popular Ethiopian Foods

Top 30 Most Popular Foods in Ethiopia

Related: Most Popular Somali Foods

Semere Zeratsion

Living in Ethiopia, Semere is a freelance writer and translator. Semere is native Tigrinya speaker, a semitic language spoken in Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region.

Add Your Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




Best Gift Ideas For Chefs

Gifts for Professional Chefs
Gifts for Professional Chefs

Best 23 Grilling Gifts for BBQ Fanatics

Best Grilling Gifts

World Cuisines

African Recipes by Professional Chefs

African Recipes by Professional Chefs

American Recipes by Professional Chefs

American Recipes by Professional Chefs

Asian Food Recipes by Professional Chefs

Asian Food Recipes by Professional Chefs

Australian Recipes by Professional Chefs

Australian Recipes by Professional Chefs

Austrian Recipes

Austrian Recipes

Belgian Recipes

Belgian Recipes

Brazilian Recipes

Brazilian Recipes

British Recipes

British Recipes

Bulgarian Recipes

Bulgarian Recipes

Canadian Recipes

Canadian Recipes

Caribbean Recipes

Caribbean Recipes

Chinese Recipes

Chinese Recipes

Colombian Recipes

Colombian Recipes

Continental

Continental

Croatian Recipes

Croatian Recipes

Cuban Recipes

Cuban Recipes

Czech Republic Cuisine

Czech Republic Cuisine

Danish Recipes

Danish Recipes

Dominican Recipes

Dominican Recipes

Dutch Recipes

Dutch Recipes

2023 © Chef's Pencil   Privacy Policy & Terms of Service  Contact us

Chef's Pencil is part of the Amazon Associate Program and earns from qualifying purchases.