One thing we all love is food. Now Somalis are no exception, we like pasta; Anjeelo and we also consume things that in the west might be considered exotic. It’s a strange thing coming to a new land. There are different landscapes, people and customs. It takes the new comer a long time to become intimate with the culture, but we have to get intimate with food immediately. This page looks at some of the foods that Somalis and Kiwi’s eat and highlights some of the “differences”.

New Zealand food is difficult to categorise in a few lines. It has even changed a lot in the ten years I have been here, reflecting the wave of new immigrants from Asia in particular. But if there is one characteristic that stands out I would have to say it is seafood. Now we Somalis, despite living on the edge of a rich and bountiful ocean, do not eat it. In fact we look down on people who eat fish. Kiwis on the other hand look aghast if you tell them that we eat camel meat and drink camel milk. Somalis are Muslim and we all have difficulties coming to terms with a pork (Mr. Pink I call it!) eating society. Labeling is important to us as some products contain pork, but you would never know unless it was on the label.

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New Zealanders have a love of the fresh. Vegetables are fresh and freely available and many people grow their own. I’m afraid we Somalis are not gardeners. My mother’s garden, which I planted, has now got vegetables vainly struggling to poke through the weeds. There are many strange foods here; Paua, Kina, fish and chips, weetbix, etc but the strangest one of all is Vegemite sammies. They even have a song about it!! Now to those who are not in the know, vegemite is a strange a primitive looking yeast extract, black, smooth with a sharp salty flavour. Kiwis love it on their toast in particular. But we Somalis can’t fathom this at all. How any one could even acquire the taste is beyond us entirely. All the internationally famous take aways are here but the traditional Fish and Chips still reigns supreme. Locally known as shark ‘n taties, fish & chip shops are everywhere and always good value for a “quick feed”. Another thing we like is pasta. This is a legacy of an Italian colonial past so we do have some appreciation of the food, but kiwis!! To see what they do with pasta by putting spaghetti in a can with tomato sauce is really quite something. And to top it all I’ve even seen them eat it in sammies!!! I also spent some time in Macedonia during 1999. That style of cooking is yet another story to be told in another web page.

A Basic Somali/Kiwi Food Dictionary

Anjeelo a type of Somali bread

Sammies Kiwi slang for a sandwich

Camels a large moody humpy animal that has a special significance for Somalis

Camel milk Camel's milk is much more nutritious than that from a cow. It is lower in fat and lactose, and higher in potassium, iron and Vitamin C. It is normally drunk fresh, and the warm frothy liquid, heavy and sweet, is usually an acquired taste for the Western palate.

Camel meat the best camel meat comes from young male camels. It is regarded as a delicacy in the Somali diet, and is popular in arid lands where it is difficult to herd sheep, cattle and goats. Although it makes for tough chewing, the taste is not unlike beef.

Shark ‘n taties Kiwi slang for fish and chips

Pasta something all Somalis love. A legacy of the colonial times

Vegemite Smooth, black, salty yeast extract eaten by on toast or sammies. Listen to the vegemite song above.

Savs. An abbreviation for saveloys. A sort of sausage (see Sossie) with a red skin. Boiled

Sossies Sausages. Can be mutton, beef or pork. Labeling is essential.

Barbie Barbeque beloved of Kiwis. Barbies are a great source of fun with friends or family.

Chai. Somali tea. (See recipe below)

Paua A green-fleshed shellfish with a beautiful coloured shell. Makes wonderful pearls. A type of abalone

Kina. Well sort of indescribable. Seafood sort of like passion fruit pips but with a salty fishy taste

Ham Hocks Pigs feet!! Kiwis like them but we ******* them!

Recipes

Somali spiced tea

You will need to use a kettle or enamel jug, which can be put directly on the stove, as all the ingredients are cooked together in a pot on open heat.
To make six cups of tea you will need:
1 pint of water, 4 whole cardamoms, 4 whole cloves, a stick of cinnamon, 4 tsp good tea (3 teabags), 1 teacup fresh milk (may be omitted), 1/2 teacup sugar (may be served in a bowl later)

Anjeelo

1 teaspoon dry yeast, 2 1/2 cups warm water, 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, oil for skillet.

Dissolve yeast in water. Stir in flour and mix well. Let stand, covered, overnight. Heat a cast iron skillet. Coat it with a bit of oil. Thin out Anjeelo batter if it is too thick to be poured. Pour some batter into the skillet. As soon as it bubbles, cover the skillet for 10-20 seconds. No need to flip the pancakes. Turn the Anjeelo out onto a platter. Cover the baked Anjeelo with a clean tea towel until ready to serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fried Mussels and Spiced Apple Soup

The crisp mussels paired with the crisp clean flavours of the cider make for a truly unique spring appetizer. Adding cayenne or ginger to the tempura can spice it up a little more.

Yield: 4 portions. Cost: low. Approximate preparation time: 20 mins
8oz apples, 8oz onions, 2 tablespoons Soya oil, bunch garlic cloves, chopped, 1 cup cider, 24fl oz mussel stock, 8 slices white bread.

Peel and core the apples, peel the onions and roughly chop both. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pot, add the apples, onion and garlic and sauté without color until soft. Add the cider and mussel stock, bring to boil and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the bread (crusts removed) and allow to stand for two minutes to absorb the liquid. Use a stick blender or liquidizer to blend the soup to a smooth puree, correct the seasoning

Links

Discover New Zealand Food

Sahra’s Favourite Recipes

The Amazing Thing Called Vegemite

African Recipes

The Worlds Largest Spice Store

Somali Bravanese food

Reflections on The Somali Male Food (Khat)

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