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Many of the Eritrean refugees who have come to Italy through the Corridors program have carried a part of their history and culture with them in their luggage. They come with bags full of spices (like berbere, a mix of spices including chilies, ginger, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, allspice, and turmeric), coffee, and the basic cooking utensils for preparing their traditional food and drinks (braziers, mortars, jebena coffee pots, and more), such as zigni or injera. Zigini – a typical Eritrean dish that is also a staple of Ethiopian and Somali culture, is a meat stew typically made with beef or chicken, and usually served atop thick crepes called injera, often together with sides of legumes and vegetables.
In the days leading up to a family’s departure, much time is given to the traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean rite of drinking coffee. Coffee is offered to friends and family at moments of rest during the day and on special occasions, usually accompanied by popcorn or cookies. The coffee beans are roasted green in a brazier over burning coals and then ground with a pestle in a wooden mortar. The grounds are boiled in a spherical ceramic pot with a long neck and thin spout called a jebena, and the coffee is served fresh.