Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Eritrea recipes, part of the African Continent. This page provides links to all the Eritrean recipes presented on this site, with 16 recipes in total.

Eritrea (Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾĒrtrā), officially: Hagere Ertra; ሃገረ ኤርትራ; State of Eritrea is an East African country on the coast of the Red Sea that also includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands. The country's capital is Asmara and it officially gained independence from Ethiopia on May 24th 1991; though transfer of power did not occur until May 24^th 1993. Eritrea is an heterogeneous society with the Tigrinya and the Tigre people together make up about 80%. The remainder of the population comprises the smaller populations of the Saho, Nara, Hedareb, Beja, Afar, Bilen, Kunama, and the Rashaida. Each nationality speaks a different native tongue and though there is no official languages, the three working languages are Tigrinya, Arabic and English. The two main religions are Sunni Islam and Orthodox Christianity. 

The native cuisines of Eritrea are very similar to those of neighbouring Djibouti and Ethiopia, though having been colonies of Turkey, Italy and Britain Eritrean cuisine has also assumed aspects of these cultures. Staple foods include cassava, yam, rice, plantain, Potato, maize, beans and millet. Unusually for a coastal nation Eritreans prefer beef and pork and fish consumption is relatively low. The foundation of Eritrean cuisine is injeera and most other foods are cooked in thick sauces before being wrapped in the flatbread to be consumed. Eritreans use a wide variety of spices and it's this more than almost anything else that distinguishes their cuisine.

Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea (ሃገረ ኤርትራ in Tigrinya) is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the south, Sudan in the west, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The nation has a total area of approximately 117,600 km², and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.

Hominid remains found in Eritrea have been dated to 1 million years old and anthropological research indicates that the area may contain significant records related to the evolution of humans. The Kingdom of Aksum, covering much of modern-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, was established during the first or second century AD.[ It adopted Christianity around the middle of the fourth century. Beginning in the 12th century, the Ethiopian Zagwe and Solomonid dynasties held sway to a fluctuating extent over the entire plateau and the Red Sea coast. Eritrea's central highlands, known as Mereb Melash ('Beyond the Mereb'), were the northern frontier region of the Ethiopian kingdoms and were ruled by a governor titled the Bahr Negus ('King of the Sea). In the 16^th century, the Ottomans conquered the Eritrean coastline, then in May 1865 much of the coastal lowlands came under the rule of the Khedivate of Egypt, until it was transferred to Italy in February 1885. Beginning in 1885–1890, Italian troops systematically spread out from Massawa toward the highlands, eventually resulting in the formation of the colony of Italian Eritrea in 1889, establishing the present-day boundaries of the country. Italian rule continued until 1942 when Eritrea was placed under British Military Administration during World War II; following a UN General Assembly decision in 1952, Eritrea would govern itself with a local Eritrean parliament, but for foreign affairs and defense, it would enter into a federal status with Ethiopia for ten years. However, in 1962, the government of Ethiopia annulled the Eritrean parliament and formally annexed Eritrea. The Eritrean secessionist movement organised the Eritrean Liberation Front in 1961 and fought the Eritrean War of Independence until Eritrea gained de facto independence in 1991. Eritrea gained de jure independence in 1993 after an independence referendum

Contemporary Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country with nine recognised ethnic groups, each of which has a distinct language. The most widely spoken languages are Tigrinya and Arabic. The others are Tigre, Saho, Kuinama, Nara, Afar, Beja, Bilen and English. Tigrinya, Arabic and English serve as the three working languages. Most residents speak languages from the Afroasiatic family, either of the Ethiopian Semitic languages or Cushitic branches. Among these communities, the Tigrinyas make up about 50% of the population, with the Tigre people constituting around 30% of inhabitants. In addition, there are several Nilo-Saharan-speaking Nilotic ethnic groups. Most people in the country adhere to Christianity or Islam, with a small minority adhering to traditional faiths.

The name Eritrea is derived from the ancient (originally Greek) name for the Red Sea, the Erythraean Sea (Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα Erythra Thalassa, based on the adjective ἐρυθρός erythros 'red'). It was first formally adopted in 1890, with the formation of Italian Eritrea (Colonia Eritrea). The name persisted throughout subsequent British and Ethiopian occupation, and was reaffirmed by the 1993 independence referendum and 1997 constitution.

Eritrean Cuisine

A typical traditional Eritrean dish consists of injera accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, chicken, lamb, or fish. Overall, Eritrean cuisine strongly resembles that of neighboring Ethiopia, though Eritrean cooking tends to feature more seafood than Ethiopian cuisine on account of their coastal location. Eritrean dishes are also frequently 'lighter' in texture than Ethiopian meals. They likewise tend to employ less seasoned butter and spices and more tomatoes, as in the tsebhi dorho delicacy.

Additionally, owing to its colonial history, cuisine in Eritrea features more Italian influences than are present in Ethiopian cooking, including more pasta and greater use of curry powders and cumin. Italian Eritrean cuisine started to be practiced during the colonial times of the Kingdom of Italy, when a large number of Italians moved to Eritrea. They brought the use of pasta to Italian Eritrea, and it is one of the main foods eaten in present-day Asmara. An Italian Eritrean cuisine emerged, and common dishes are 'pasta al sugo e berbere' (pasta with tomato sauce and berbere spice), lasagna, and 'cotoletta alla Milanese' (veal Milanese).