Israeli malawax (malawach)
- Thread starter Saleh
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The alchemist
VIP
No. Their Malawax is something else, and it is an extraction from Yemeni cuisine. Israeli cuisines are basically the Arab cuisines they brought. The most chopped is Ashkenazi food; those guys munch on weird stuff.
We share some variations of foods with Yemen, although we make them differently. Which is normal when you have high contact.
We share some variations of foods with Yemen, although we make them differently. Which is normal when you have high contact.
Or just the isrealis are claiming it the same way they claim xumus and falafel
Saleh
Mentor | Father | Husband | Philosemite
I think we adopted the concept of thin flatbread from the Jewish community in Yemen and added our own variation to it, hence why we use a loanword for it.
Malwax is eaten all across somalia. Its far more likely that the yemeni jews who were a small artisnal and trader community who lived near the coast adopted it.
Although I think the similarity is just the name since the bread looks compelelty different
Riftvalley
VIP
Having a loan word does not always mean a dish was burrowed from that place. Sometimes people start using a loan word for a dish which already has a name in the local language.
Good examples:
Laxoox (native to East Africa as canjeelo. Some Somalis obviously went to Aden and started referring to it by its Arabic name even though our laxoox is made differently).
Xaneed: basically slow roasted hilib which Somalis have been eating for centuries.
Sabaayad (already called Kimis. Unless the Yemenis themselves loaned Sabayaad from us).
beed:ukun
Digaag:Dooro.
Good examples:
Laxoox (native to East Africa as canjeelo. Some Somalis obviously went to Aden and started referring to it by its Arabic name even though our laxoox is made differently).
Xaneed: basically slow roasted hilib which Somalis have been eating for centuries.
Sabaayad (already called Kimis. Unless the Yemenis themselves loaned Sabayaad from us).
beed:ukun
Digaag:Dooro.
it is POSSIBLE Somalis are descendants of Israelis?
We like to be by ourselves. We like business. We are cunning and hate our neighbors Ethiopia.
Israeli Malawax kulahaa, you mean Yemeni Malawach
Shalom madam
I only logged in briefly to check my inbox . I wasn’t planning on responding to this thread, but this touches on something I’ve actually been researching lately: the historical Somali nutritional profile, to better understand how we can improve our health as a people.
There’s a study that goes into this area, particularly around traditional flatbreads. It explains how both fermented (Canjeero/Laxoox) and unfermented (Malawax) flatbreads have deep, ancient roots in Somali cuisine linked to an historic era pastoralism. There’s also Muufo, which is a denser, dry flatbread common in many southern households.
Interestingly, records from the 1870s even describe Somali women in Aden preparing and selling these breads, often served with cups of buttermilk and sweetmeats.
The study also highlights how flatbread is not just a food, but a cultural staple , deeply embedded in Somali identity and daily life. It goes on to describe similarities and differences between Yemen's Lahoh and Somalis Laxoox.
Traditionally, Somalis used local grains like cowpea, millet, sorghum, and barley ,, milling them at local markets into what’s known as 'budo' flour, which was then used to prepare these breads. These grains are rich in nutrients, protein etc, and easy on the digestive system.
The problem today is the increasing use of imported wheat and corn flours, which are not only heavily processed but also high in gluten and low in micronutrient density(due conflict, displacement and rise in food imports). The study strongly recommends that Somalis stick to their indigenous grain blends for better health outcomes.
Maintaining our traditional methods of breadmaking using native grains isn’t just about culture, it’s a path toward better health and food sovereignty imo.
There’s a study that goes into this area, particularly around traditional flatbreads. It explains how both fermented (Canjeero/Laxoox) and unfermented (Malawax) flatbreads have deep, ancient roots in Somali cuisine linked to an historic era pastoralism. There’s also Muufo, which is a denser, dry flatbread common in many southern households.
Interestingly, records from the 1870s even describe Somali women in Aden preparing and selling these breads, often served with cups of buttermilk and sweetmeats.
The study also highlights how flatbread is not just a food, but a cultural staple , deeply embedded in Somali identity and daily life. It goes on to describe similarities and differences between Yemen's Lahoh and Somalis Laxoox.
Traditionally, Somalis used local grains like cowpea, millet, sorghum, and barley ,, milling them at local markets into what’s known as 'budo' flour, which was then used to prepare these breads. These grains are rich in nutrients, protein etc, and easy on the digestive system.
The problem today is the increasing use of imported wheat and corn flours, which are not only heavily processed but also high in gluten and low in micronutrient density(due conflict, displacement and rise in food imports). The study strongly recommends that Somalis stick to their indigenous grain blends for better health outcomes.
Maintaining our traditional methods of breadmaking using native grains isn’t just about culture, it’s a path toward better health and food sovereignty imo.
Exactly. Just going off name similarities can be misleading. Somalis originally called coffee buun, which makes sense since it came from the Harar region and was first prepared by Somalis. But now a lot of people say qaxwe, the Arabic word. Doesn’t mean Yemenis introduced it , it’s just how language shifts/blends with trade, interaction, and bilingualism.
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Riftvalley
VIP
Yes, there is a lazy generalisation of Somali foods and cuisine some Somalis (mainly guys online and some minority extremists) engage in. “Most of our foods were imported”. “We burrowed this and that from Indians and Arabs”.
A few of the foods we have derived from Middle East like Bajiya and Xalwad have their own unique tastes and Somali blends. Somali Sambusa tastes nothing like Hindi or Middle East ones. Xalwah is eaten across the Indian Ocean yet the Somali one does not have the same exact taste. Our Shah differs from Indian tea in taste. Yemeni Rice and Xaneed tastes nothing like Somali. Somalia was part of the vast Indian Ocean, hence the cultural exchange of foods, spices and words.
Most Somali food is native and has been around for centuries that’s clear from historical records. Even the stuff that came through trade or contact got Somali-ized through local prep, ingredients, and culture.
You mentioned the Indian Ocean, and that’s the key point. Every region in that network exchanged ideas, dishes, and words. But notice how only Somalis face this strange scrutiny, as if our entire culture is just “borrowed.” No one applies that logic to Yemeni or Omani food even though their cultures, like those of Indian and South Asian communities, also reflect a mix of outside influences. Cultural exchange is the norm across the region, yet only Somalis are singled out, as if influence somehow erases authenticity.
This shows that it was never really about food. Somalis are racialized in a way others aren’t. The constant nitpicking over Somali originality isn’t genuine historical curiosity, it’s bias.
It’s this notion that Somali identity always needs to be “proven” or justified, while other cultures are accepted as-is. You see it in how people throw around claims like “ana Arab” or “Arab-wannabe,” but no one applies that logic to other countries that literally share borders and cultures with eachother.
For example, you don’t see this kind of scrutiny with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese cultures, even though they borrow and influence each other heavily. The same goes for Arabs and European countries no one accuses them of “copying” or having an identity crisis. But when it comes to Somalis, cultural overlap suddenly means “you’re trying to be Arab” or “that's not your culture.” That’s the double standard. Because we’re seen as racially and geographically separate, people treat our culture like it can’t naturally mix with our neighbors across from us, while everyone else is allowed to.
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Saleh
Mentor | Father | Husband | Philosemite
Wonderful post idilina. Very insightful, great read!
Kind words from our resident mentor, father, husband, proud philosemite, dare I say, part-time troll as well.
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