Sudanese cuisine

A woman cooking in Sudan

Sudanese cuisine is varied by region, and greatly affected by the cross-cultural influences upon Sudan throughout history. In addition to the influences of the indigenous African peoples, the cuisine was influenced by Arab traders and settlers during the Ottoman Empire, who introduced spices such as red pepper and garlic, as well as Levantine dishes. Egyptian, Yemeni, Indian, and Ethiopian influences are prevalent in the Eastern part.

A wide variety of stews exist in Sudan, often paired with a staple bread or porridge. Further south, fish dishes are popular.

Sudanese food in the north is simpler, whereas foods further south reflect the influence of surrounding areas, such as the Yemeni influenced mokhbaza (banana paste) of Eastern Sudan.

Ful medames is the national dish of Sudan. A popular variation of this dish is Shahan ful, which is more popular in neighboring countries of the Horn of Africa.

Alcohol

Sudan is currently governed under sharia, which bans the purveying, consumption, and purchasing of alcohol. Being lashed 40 times is the penalty for breaking the prohibition on alcohol. Former Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry enacted sharia in September 1983, marking the occasion by dumping alcohol into the Nile river.[1] Araqi is an alcoholic gin made from dates, which is illegally brewed in defiance of sharia. Sudan's date-gin brewers thrive despite sharia.

Sudanese breads and porridges

A woman making Kissra

Sudanese cheeses

Soups and stews

Several stews, including Waika, Bussaara, and Sabaroag use Ni'aimiya (spice mix) and dried okra. Miris is a stew that is made from sheep's fat, onions, and dried okra. Sharmout Abiyad is cooked with dried meat, while Kajaik is made with dried fish.[3]

Stews are regularly eaten with a sorghum porridge called Asseeda or Asseeda Dukun. In Equatoria, Mouloukhiya is added to the Asseeda.[3]

Sudanese soups include Kawari, made of cattle or sheep hooves with vegetables, and Elmussalammiya, made with liver, flour, dates, and spices.[3]

Appetizers

Appetizers like Elmaraara and Umfitit are made from sheep's offal (including the lungs, liver, and stomach), onions, peanut butter, and salt. They are eaten raw.[3]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuisine of Sudan.

References

  1. ↑ iPad iPhone Android TIME TV Populist The Page (1984-01-23). "Sudan: Hearts, Minds and Helicopters". TIME. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  2. ↑ Comparison of Quality of Sudanese White Cheese (Gibna bayda) Manufactured with Solanum dubium Fruit Extract and Rennet
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sudanese Food, Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan, Washington, DC

External links