The only dedicated Somali eatery around L.A., Banadir Somali Restaurant occupies an old stucco building along a secondary street in Inglewood. Unlike the food of its Horn of Africa neighbor, Ethiopia, the cuisine of Somalia is meat-intensive. This means chicken, beef and especially goat. Goat is the star here, served braised, pressure-cooked or in a soup. The first two preparations are accompanied by flavorful basmati rice or dished over thin spaghetti, a carryover from Italian colonization. At breakfast, the meat is served with anjero, a flatbread similar to Ethiopian injera. All meals are served with a banana, which you eat with your meal, not before or after. And to drink, you should order Somali tea, like chai minus the milk.

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