Category Archives: Sweets (Macmacaan)

Orange Juice Cake (Doolshe Casiir Leh) Gâteau au Jus d’Orange كيك بعصير البرتقال

Orange Juice Cake (Doolshe Casiir Leh) كيك بعصير البرتقال

  We had to bake this cake three times for this post. It wasn’t because it did not come out right the first time. When we first baked it last Friday, we could not resist and we had it with tea while still warm and without the glaze. We then baked it on Saturday, poured…

Somali Doughnuts (Kac Kac) Beignets Somalis الدونت الصومالي

Somali Doughnuts (Kac Kac) الدونت الصومالي

  Long before we were introduced to the doughnuts we had outside Somalia, we were familiar with kac kac. We loved these tasty snacks that were sold in traditional Somali restaurants (maqaayo Soomaali) in Mogadishu. They were great for a quick breakfast when served alongside a cup of Somali tea with milk (shaah caddeeys). In those…

Somali Shortbread Cookies (Icun – 2 nooc) Sablés Somalis الغريبة

Somali Shortbread Cookies (Icun)  الغريبة

Icun icalaanji caloosha iggee (iggeli)   Are you getting ready for Eid? What would Eid be without icun? We mean the icun of “icun icalaanji caloosha iggee (iggeli)” fame. That is what the street vendors selling icun used to say and it means “eat me, chew me, and dispatch me to the stomach.” We do…

Creme Caramel (Doolshe Banaaddir) Crème Caramel كريم كراميل

Creme Caramel (Doolshe Banaaddir) كريم كراميل

  In Somalia, creme caramel was not a dessert that was made on a regular basis. It was usually made when guests were invited. We believe it was due to the fact that eggs were not easy to come by.  Most of the good restaurants in Mogadishu served creme caramel and it was always our…

Mashmash (Mashmash – Bishbishi) Mashmash مشمش

Mashmash (Mashmash - Bishbishi) مشمش

Mashmash (rhymes with hush-hush) is a classic Somali snack that is usually paired with samosas. It is on the greasy side but in Somalia, greasy was not always associated with bad. There was a time when oily meant nutritious. We remember seeing construction workers in Mogadishu using mashmash as a sandwich filling. At the time…

Kalkals (Shushumoow – Zinanaande) Kalkal كلكل

Kalkals (Shushumoow - Zinanaande) كلكل

  There are sweets that you eat because they taste good; then there are those that go a step further by bringing back memories of your childhood, a way of life long gone, of places fondly missed. That is what shushumoow (kalkals) does for us. In Brava, Somalia, they are known as zinanaande or zinanoonde. …

Coconut Burfi (Qumbe – Zinoolo za Naazi) Burfi à la Noix de Coco حلاوة النارجيل

Coconut Burfi (Qumbe - Zinoolo za Naazi) حلاوة النارجيل

These coconut sweets are a cross between milk fudge (Peera or Caana Baraawe in Somali) and the White Coconut Sweets (Qumbe Cad). They were one of our favourite sweets in Brava, Somalia. Making these sweets used to be time-consuming since it required that milk be reduced significantly. We remember the very long time spent standing and stirring…

Somali Biscuits (Buskud) Biscuits Somalis بسكويت

Somali Biscuits (Buskud) بسكويت

Somali Biscuits with Halwa (Buskud iyo Xalwo) بسكويت مع الحلوة الصومالية     These biscuits (cookies) take us back to Somalia, and in particular to childhood in Brava. Mornings start very early and almost everyone would wake up to a cup of coffee (kahawa in Bravanese; qaxwo in Somali). Somali coffee is not at all…

White Coconut Sweets (Kashaato) Bonbons Blancs à la Noix de Coco

White Coconut Sweets (Qumbe cad)

  This is one of the most requested recipes and it is a popular sweet in Somalia. Unlike the previous recipe that we posted for Coconut Sweets, this one is more like candy and it is easy to cut into any shape you desire. When we set out to make this recipe, we remembered a…

Coconut Sweets (Qumbe) Bouchées à la Noix de Coco

Coconut Sweets (Qumbe)

  These coconut sweets were popular street food in Somalia. They were made of freshly grated coconut that was readily available. After leaving Somalia, many people had problems finding the ingredients they were familiar with. As a result, many foods could not be made or they did not taste the same when other ingredients were…

About (Annaga)
Qui Sommes Nous نبذة عنا

We are a husband and wife team and we live in Canada. In a world full of food complications, we make cooking very simple. Our recipe videos will make your cooking easy, relaxed and enjoyable. We bring you the foods we love from Somalia and from around the world.