African restaurants are Jeddah’s tastiest bargains

BLURB: There are a few Eritrean restaurants in south Jeddah where many Eritrean and Yemeni residents gather. Eritrean restaurants offer cheap meals. A number of Yemeni restaurants in Jeddah also cook Eritrean meals to attract more customers.
African restaurants in Jeddah have gained popularity among Saudis and expatriates alike because of their tasty and inexpensive meals, no matter what part of the continent they hail from.
Top of the favorites’ list however are Eritrean and Sudanese restaurants.
Eritrean cuisines usually include Injera, a soft round pancake made from the staple grain, teff, with a dish of finely chopped tripe, liver and intestines mixed with onions and butter. Zigni, another delight, is a type of meat stew in a hot pepper mixture, known as berbere, containing onion, garlic and oil. It is sometimes served with rice.
Many Saudis, especially those who come from the southern regions of the Kingdom and local Yemeni residents, are well acquainted with the dishes on offer.
There are a few Eritrean restaurants in south Jeddah where many Eritrean and Yemeni residents gather. Eritrean restaurants offer cheap meals. A number of Yemeni restaurants in Jeddah also cook Eritrean meals to attract more customers.
“I like to visit Eritrean restaurants. I know they have delicious meals at cheap prices. When I was in Yemen, I used to eat Zigni and Injera. I was surprised to see so many Saudis visiting Eritrean restaurants in Jeddah,” said Abdullah Sanaani, a Yemeni living in Jeddah.
There are also many Sudanese restaurants in Jeddah offering various meat dishes including Kamonia, Shiah and Lever. Unsurprisingly, most customers are from Sudan.
“These residents keep their traditions alive by eating their favorite meals at the proper times. They eat Lever with milk coffee in the morning, rice with Kamonia at lunch and Shiah at night,” said Salah Abdul Raheem, a Sudanese engineer working in Jeddah.
“The secret of our dishes is the freshness of our cuisine. Sudanese meals depend on quality meat. Sudanese will only eat meals made with fresh meat.”