Yemen

Yemen is a country toward the South of the Arabian Peninsula. The Ottomans and the British both controlled the country in the early 20th century. Terrain includes mountains, desert, and Red Sea shore. Yemen’s economy depends pretty heavily on the small amount of oil it produces, but it also has natural gas and widely varied agriculture.

The Socotra Archipelago near the opening of the Gulf of Aden contributes hugely to national biodiversity. It contains a huge number of reptiles and snails, 192 bird species, 253 species of coral, 730 species of coastal fish, and 300 species of crab and lobster, a variety of aloes, and the Dragon’s Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari). They also speak the unique Soqotri language. The ancient city of Sana’a is absolutely a don’t-miss sight. There are around 100 mosques and over 6,000 houses all built more than 1,000 years ago at this UNESCO World Heritage. Climb the many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth (pis├®) to get incredible vistas of the surrounding area.

Pita and other breads are an important part of the Yemeni diet, and potatoes and rice are other typical starches. Hawaij is a frequently-used spice mixture which includes aniseed, fennel seeds, ginger, and cardamom. Tomato, spinach, horseradish-leaves, carrot, cabbage, and cucumber are some common vegetables. Chicken, goat, lamb, and fish are all popular. Ogdat, meaning knot, is a stew where bits of lamb, chicken, or fish are actually tied together with vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, or zucchini. Try saltah, considered the national dish, which is composed of brown meat stew called maraq, a dollop of fenugreek froth, and sahawiq or sahowqa (a mixture of chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs ground into a salsa). Rice, potatoes, scrambled eggs, and vegetables can all be added to saltah. Tea is the drink of choice with most meals in Yemen, but in certain areas coffee rules. If you love ginger, you must have qishr, a drink made from coffee husks and varied spices.