Eritrea is yet another African war torn country with over a million refugees living displaced within camps in Eritrea as well as in Sudan and other neighbouring countries. Click here for more information.

A former Italian colony in northeast Africa, Eritrea joined a UN-administered federation with Ethiopia in 1952, with a guarantee of democratic rights. Ten years later the state was annexed by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, touching off decades of bitter warfare. In 1993 Eritrea achieved independence from its dominating neighbor. After independence, Eritrea plunged into a 1995 war over Red Sea islands with Yemen and then a more devastating border war with Ethiopia in 1998, causing an estimated 100,000 casualties. A peace agreement in 2000 established a UN-patrolled buffer zone along the Eritrean-Ethiopian border.

28 Eritrean refugee women in Brisbane got together and with the help of a Federal Governmnent grant have set up the first Eritrean restuarant in Queensland. The restaurant that opened late 2007, is in Moorooka, which is already home to over 250 refugees from the horn of Africa. It started as a catering business in 2004 and after providing food for many functions and festivals has expanded into a restaurant.

The restuarant is called Mu’ooz which means tasty and healthy in Eritrea.

In the company of good friends, I indulged in Eritrean cuisine last night at the restaurant, and I have to say, it is not only a delicious meal but an amazing African experience. Turkish and Moroccan influences were apparent but the culinary experience was truly unique. Traditional Eritrean coffee was also not only served but prepared in a traditional Eritrean coffee ceremony.

I would highly recommend this restaurant, not only for the extraordinary cultural experience, but also to support our new Eritrean friends as they settle into Australia!