Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa taken here to mean the strip of coastal land which extends round the north-eastern tip of Africa from the Somali Republic through Djibouti to Eritrea. The region is a rich mixture of peoples, cultures, and traditions. Long a lynchpin of intercontinental trade routes, Arab, Indian, and, later, intrusive European (Italian, French, and English) elements have left their mark on a cookery that shares much with its landlocked Ethiopian neighbour.

The injera of Ethiopia thus figures largely in Eritrea and Somalia, where it is called canjeero. There are also variants of the Indian chapati current in Somalia and they have a cornbread called muufo. These other breads are eaten, like injera, with a spicy dipping stew.