Soomaaliya: Food, Memory, and Migration: A Cookbook

A living archive of Somali recipes and traditions, both at home and in the Somali diaspora, through 75 recipes with stories and interviews from the Somali culinary world, spanning cherished classics and modern interpretations, bringing the soul of Somali cooking to the world stage.

Known by many names, the cape of spices, the nation of poets, and the land of cinnamon, Somalia is nestled in the Horn of Africa and is blessed with fertile fields, rich in spices, and endowed with the longest coastline in mainland Africa. This location and natural abundance have made Somalia a corridor between east and west, and a central point in global trade and migration, dating back millennia.   

In Soomaaliya, Ifrah F. Ahmed tells the story of her country through its history, its food, and its people. Somalia’s role in the spice trade yields xawaash, the most distinctive of Somali flavors, a heady blend of cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and turmeric that’s used in everything from marinades to stews. Cardamom also finds its ways into thin, fragrant crepes, sweet fried beignets called bur, and bariis, rice spiced with cardamom and cumin. This rice is paired hilib ari, tender goat meat stew that is a product of Somalia’s deep roots in herding and agrarianism. Baasto, or pasta, a relic of the long Italian colonial rule, is served with a range of simple tomato sauces to ragus. The bountiful waters supply fish freshly caught and fried. And for afternoon tea, a pot of spiced shaah, served with thick slices doolsho, an aromatic cardamom cake. These are a just a few of the over 70 recipes included that introduce the foundational flavors and tastes of the Somali palate.  

Through profiles of food producers, writers, and chefs, Ahmed shines a light on the many Somalis, at home and abroad, working to both preserve and transform the cuisine. Expansive and generous, and fueled by a deep love, Soomaaliya is a celebration of the richness of Somali food, and the remarkable resilience of its people. 

Ifrah F. Ahmed is a Somali-born, New York-based writer, chef, recipe developer, and artist whose work centers around food, history, culture, memory, and migration. Her writing and recipes are published in The New York Times, where she is a regular contributor, and she has bylines in Vogue, Eater, TASTE, and the Los Angeles Times, amongst many others. Her popular Somali culinary pop-up MILK & MYRRH has routinely sold out in Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York and she has been featured in NPR, The New York Times Style Magazine, and The Washington Post. Named one of Cherry Bombe's "Future of Food 50", she is dedicated to the preservation of Somali culinary traditions.