So I watch a lot of food content, mainly from East Asia, because I like how healthy the food is. What really interested me was how Korean food became innovative and transformed during their development, and how it continues to evolve even to this day. I think some Somali people believe our cuisine is set in stone and can’t be changed, but in reality, there is always an opportunity to innovate and introduce new things. Here are some ideas I have. I have grouped them into different categories, and I will use Korean food as an example throughout.
Instant and convenience store food:
Koreans introduced cheese into their diet, and now a lot of their street food relies on it (rose tteokbokki, corndogs, etc.). We already have plenty of street food options, but innovations could look like:
Fusion foods:
Korean fried chicken, bulgogi pizza, kimchi carbonara, etc.
For us:
Koreans have a concept called banchan (side dishes), which are small vegetable-based dishes that accompany the main meal.
Examples for us:
With Somalia’s long coastline and abundant seafood, we should emphasise that more. Seafood is rich in collagen and omega, so:
Increased protein:
East Asians often include eggs in their meals, which is also a good idea for Somalis. For example:
Coffee culture:
Koreans have made iced Americanos their staple and marketed them well. I genuinely think Somali coffee has a unique taste. It does not taste like any other coffee. It could be branded as anything unique to Somalia and served either iced or hot, similar to a Spanish latte. Cold foam could be made from camel milk which is a unique touch and I’ve heard fresh camel milk is sweet and not sour
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Instant and convenience store food:
- Ramyeon, packaged drinks with cup ice, seaweed snacks
- Pre-packaged canjeero with mini pots of saliid macsaro and optional sugar packets
- Sesame seed snack bars
- Frozen Somali sambuus
- Somali coffee and tea packets with ice cups
- Packaged sandwiches with savory options from our sea (prawn salad, shark tuna, etc.)
- Fruit cups (papaya, mango, guava). These combinations are unusual elsewhere but normal in Somalia
- Small pots of packaged leefleefow
- Small hot counter for halwo, cambuulo, muufo
Koreans introduced cheese into their diet, and now a lot of their street food relies on it (rose tteokbokki, corndogs, etc.). We already have plenty of street food options, but innovations could look like:
- Stuffed muufo with camel meat and cheese
- Lobster skewers
- Fries with bisbaas sauce on the side
- Fried kingfish bites
- Malawax with different toppings, using honey made in Somalia
- Sweet dessert with banana as the main theme
- Stuffed muufo with sweetened cambuulo paste
Fusion foods:
Korean fried chicken, bulgogi pizza, kimchi carbonara, etc.
For us:
- Fries with sauces mixed with bisbaas such as bisbaas x ranch or bisbaas x mayo
- Codka pizza
Koreans have a concept called banchan (side dishes), which are small vegetable-based dishes that accompany the main meal.
Examples for us:
- Baris and hilib with small dishes like steamed spinach, salad, or stir-fried anchovies
With Somalia’s long coastline and abundant seafood, we should emphasise that more. Seafood is rich in collagen and omega, so:
- Maraq with fish substitutes, accompanied with soor
- Grilled kingfish, grilled mackerel, etc with white or brown rice
- Fish broth
- Maraq with lentils or red beans and brown or white rice
Increased protein:
East Asians often include eggs in their meals, which is also a good idea for Somalis. For example:
- White rice with scrambled egg and buskeeti, seasoned with Somali spices
Coffee culture:
Koreans have made iced Americanos their staple and marketed them well. I genuinely think Somali coffee has a unique taste. It does not taste like any other coffee. It could be branded as anything unique to Somalia and served either iced or hot, similar to a Spanish latte. Cold foam could be made from camel milk which is a unique touch and I’ve heard fresh camel milk is sweet and not sour
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