Food in Socotra, what’s it like and will you go hungry when visiting this magical isn and? The good news is that while simple the food in Socotra is fresh, reasonably varied and generally quite good. And there’s definitely a Socotra street food scene!
To read about the best drinks in Syria click here.
Food in Socotra – what is Socotran cuisine?
While part of Yemen, at least officially Socotra is a very isolated island which relies on either having certain food delivered, or local produce, generally the later. In the old days Socotra was part of Democratic Yemen, so would get part of it supplies from the Eastern Bloc. After Yemeni unification it relied on supplies from Yemen, and more lately from the United Arab Emirates, who are kind of like a custodian of the island right now.
To read about the death of the President of Yemen click here.
From the fresh produce side the country as an island has an abundance of fish, there is also a decent amount of chicken, with most of your meals being outdoor cooked fresh fish, or meat with pasta, or rice. These are usually served with fragrant sauce and accompanied by potatoes and, or fresh vegetables.
Snack wise you will also not go hungry, with not only fresh fruit like oranges abundantly available, but also that classic middle-eastern delicacy the date.
On tours to Socotra meals are included as part of the package and cooked fresh in front of you as you enjoy some serious camping. On the night in the hotel you eat in the hotel and this can be described as Middle_eastern cuisine.
Can you drink in Socotra?
OK, so we know what you are thinking, can you drink alcohol in Socotra, we will get to that in a bit as it is complicated one. The main drink here though is tea, much like other Arab places.
At all times there will be a thermos of tea, loaded with sugar, ready to consume. Tea is basically life in Socotra. The people of Socotra are very friendly and you will certainly enjoy a cup, or two of tea with the locals.
Can you drink alcohol in Socotra
Drinking alcohol is not so common in Yemen as it is a muslim state largely in a civil war that includes many fundamentalist islamists. Socotra though firmly under UAE type interpretations now allow tourist to bring in alcohol for their own consumption. You do though have to be a non-Muslim (or at least not from Saudi) and are limited to one litre per person of liquor.
Do Socotrans drink alcohol? You’ll have to go find that out yourselves…..
To join the next YPT Tour to Socotra check this link.