Somali cuisine is flavored with cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and coriander, drawing on influences from the Arab world, India, and East Africa. The food is fragrant rather than fiery by default, though chili-based condiments are available for those who want heat.
Suqaar is the most common everyday dish — small cubes of goat or beef seasoned with xawash (a spice blend similar to Ethiopia's berbere) and cooked quickly. It is typically served with rice, pasta (a legacy of Italian colonialism), or canjeero/anjero, the spongy flatbread equivalent to Ethiopian injera.
Bariis iskukaris is a fragrant spiced rice cooked with cumin, cardamom, and sometimes raisins, served with goat or camel meat. It is the centerpiece of festive meals and hospitality.
Camel milk is central to Somali life in a way that has no equivalent elsewhere — it is nutritious, widely drunk fresh, and carries cultural weight. Trying it is worthwhile. Camel meat is also eaten and has a richer, slightly gamier flavor than beef.
Canjeero with sesame oil and sugar is a common breakfast. Tea — sweet, spiced, and often brewed with cardamom — is the social lubricant of daily life, drunk at all hours.
In Mogadishu, the restaurant scene has recovered enough that you can find decent Somali food along the Maka al-Mukarama road and in the Hodan district. Look for places serving midday meals — the main meal of the day — rather than tourist-oriented restaurants.
Alcohol is not available and not expected. Fresh fruit juice and camel milk are the drinks of choice.