Eritrean food resembles Ethiopian and Middle Eastern cuisines. The cornerstone is
injera—a thin, foam-rubberlike pancake made from local wheat. It's usually dipped in a variety of spiced meat and vegetable dishes. Good local dishes include
zighini (a spicy goat stew),
capretto (roasted goat),
wot (a spicy stew made with meat and sometimes vegetables) and bread salad (a mixture of
injera, vegetables, spices and oil and vinegar). At small ethnic restaurants, try such dishes as
shiro (ground chickpea stew) and
quanta (a dried meat stew). No matter what you order, it will likely be a little spicy.
Take advantage of the fresh seafood along the Red Sea: The shrimp and lobster are particularly good. Fresh oranges, bananas, grapefruits, papayas, carrots, potatoes, onions, cucumbers and avocados are available year-round; mangos, melons and pineapples are available occasionally. Italian food is plentiful and delicious, a holdover from the colonial days. Pizza is popular in Asmara.
Coffee is served black and very sweet (in some areas, ginger is also added). Even fruit juices will likely get a shot of sugar. Alcoholic drinks include the local beer, which has a low-alcohol content, and mead (honey wine).
