Sudan Food Guide

Food in Sudan, at least the type the traveler is most likely to come across, is strongly Arab-influenced. Popular dishes include Ta,amia (you may know this dish of fried, mashed chickpeas as felafel), ful mudamis and fasooliyya (stewed brown and white beans), the ubiquitous kebab and chawarma (slices of roasted lamb). Dura (cooked maize/millet) is a staple owing more to the country’s African roots. Meat specialties also include kibda (liver) and sheya (charcoal barbecued meat). Fruits of the tropical variety (mangoes and bananas) are found readily in the south and in the capital, whereas you will come across dates and figs almost anywhere in the country. Drinks include the national pastime – tea (black or white, always sweet, often spiced), coffee (a specialty is the strong Turkish variety that you can almost eat, with the grains lining the bottom of the cup) and if you are very, very lucky, some local/Eritrean hooch – generally Sudan is a dry country.