Eritrean food is one of the highlights of any visit, and it shares roots with Ethiopian cuisine while carrying its own distinct character -- shaped by Italian colonialism, Red Sea coastal traditions, and the country's nine ethnic groups.
The foundation of every meal is injera, a large, spongy flatbread made from fermented teff flour with a pleasantly sour tang. Injera serves as both plate and utensil. A sheet of it is laid on a shared tray, topped with spoonfuls of different stews, and you tear off pieces to scoop up the food with your right hand. Eating is communal and unhurried.
The stews are where things get interesting. Tsebhi is the general term for stew, and the most common is zigni -- beef or lamb slow-cooked in berbere, a fiery spice blend built on dried chilies, fenugreek, ginger, and a dozen other spices. Dorho tsebhi is the chicken version, often served with a hard-boiled egg. Shiro, a thick, creamy stew of ground chickpeas or lentils simmered with berbere and garlic, is the everyday staple and the backbone of fasting days when Orthodox Christians eat vegan. It is humble, cheap, and deeply satisfying. Hilbet, a paste of lentils or fava beans, rounds out the vegetarian options.
The Italian influence shows up in unexpected places. Eritreans eat more pasta than almost anyone in Africa. You will find spaghetti with a spicy meat sauce, lasagna, and even pizza in Asmara, often served alongside injera dishes. Macchiatos and cappuccinos are excellent -- Asmara has a genuine cafe culture inherited from the Italian period, and the coffee is taken seriously.
On the coast in Massawa, the diet shifts to fresh fish and seafood, often grilled simply or cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. The Red Sea fish is outstanding.
The coffee ceremony is a cornerstone of Eritrean social life. Green coffee beans are roasted over charcoal in front of you, ground by hand, and brewed in a clay pot called a jebena. The process takes at least half an hour and is repeated for three rounds -- each progressively weaker. Accepting an invitation to coffee is one of the best ways to connect with Eritreans. Refusing is considered impolite.
Traditional drinks include suwa, a home-brewed beer made from fermented barley or sorghum, and mes (also known as tej), a honey wine flavored with gesho leaves. Suwa is cloudy, mildly bitter, and served at social gatherings and after communal work. Mes is sweeter and reserved more for celebrations. Both are traditions of Eritrea's Christian communities. Asmara also has its own commercial brewery producing decent lager, a legacy of the Italian era.