Soomaaliya: Food, Memory, and Migration

For a limited time we have copies signed by Ifrah F. Ahmed. 

Early in this book, Ifrah Ahmed makes the point that in Somali culture, knowledge is passed down orally, a tradition which has endured for generations, but has been disrupted by civil war and sudden diaspora. Here she seeks to re-establish connections for dispersed Somalis and to invite others who know little of the country’s cuisine to learn about its traditions.

Somalia’s location near the junction of Africa and Asia has long made it an important trade center, and one of the hallmarks of Somali cuisine is a spice blend called xawaash, which takes advantage of those connections by combining cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and turmeric. While xawaash is not part of every dish, its complexity suggests how often flavor contrasts appear in the country’s cooking.

For example:

• Shidni, a tamarind chutney that incorporates dates, tomatoes, cloves, chiles, and cilantro

• Cambaabur, a sourdough pancake flavored with onion, garlic, turmeric, fennel and nigella seeds

• Mallaay Shiilan, a dish of fried fish seasoned with xawaash as well as paprika and lemon juice

Desserts, by contrast, tend to favor simpler flavors while letting textures showcase contrasts, as in shushumow, a glazed fried shell pastry; iucn, a crispy shortbread cookie made partly with almond flour and dabbed with a celebratory single red dot; and caano baraawe, a cardamom-scented milk fudge.

An appealing introduction to a storied cuisine, accessible to a wide range of cooking skill levels.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.