Ethiopia

Ethiopian cuisine consists of various vegetable or meat side dishes and entrees, usually a wat or thick stew, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. One does not eat with utensils, but instead uses injera (always with the right hand) to scoop up pureed spiced vegetables and meat stews from a shared platter.

Traditional Ethiopian cuisine employs no pork of any kind, as most Ethiopians are either Muslims or Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, and are thus prohibited from eating pork. Furthermore, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church prescribes a number of fasting periods, including Wednesdays, Fridays, and the entire Lenten season, so Ethiopian cuisine contains many vegetarian dishes. This has also led Ethiopian cooks to develop a rich array of cooking oil sources: besides Sesame and safflower, Ethiopian cuisine also uses nug (also spelled noog, known also as niger seed). Ethiopian restaurants are a popular choice for vegetarians living in Western countries.

Ethiopian cuisine is also known for its spiciness. J. Innes Miller cites a publication of the Ethiopian Ministry of Education that listed a number of spices grown in Ethiopia in 1954, which include fenugreek, cumin, basil, coriander, ginger, saffron, mustard, cardamom, “Red pepper” (Capsicum annuum) and thyme. Innes Miller notes that “all of these, except red pepper, belonged to the Roman world.”

Types of Ethiopian Cuisine

Berbere, a combination of powdered chile pepper and other spices (somewhat analogous to Southwestern American chili powder), is an important ingredient used in many dishes. Also essential is niter kibbeh, a clarified butter infused with ginger, garlic, and several spices.

Wat stews all begin with a large amount of chopped red onions, which the cook simmers in a pot. Once the onions have softened, the cook adds niter kebbeh (or, in the case of vegan dishes, vegetable oil). Following this, the cook adds berbere to make a spicy qey wat, or may omit the berbere for a milder alicha wat or alecha wat. In the event that the berbere is particularly spicy, the cook may elect to add it before the kibbeh or oil so the berbere will cook longer and become milder. Finally, the cook adds meat such as beef, chicken, or lamb; legumes such as split peas or lentils; or vegetables such as potatoes.

Alternatively, rather than being prepared as a stew, meat or vegetables may be sauteed to make tibs . Tibs is served normal or special, “special tibs” is served on a hot dish with vegetables (salad) mixed in. The mid-18th century European visitor to Ethiopia, Remedius Prutky, describes tibs as a portion of grilled meat served “to pay a particular compliment or show especial respect to someone.”

Another distinctive Ethiopian dish is kitfo (frequently listed as ketfo), which consists of raw (or rare) ground beef marinated in mitmita and niter kibbeh. Gored gored is very similar to kitfo, but uses cubed, rather than ground, beef.

Firfir or fitfit, made from shredded injera with spices, is a typical breakfast dish. Another popular breakfast food is dulet , a spicy mixture of tripe, liver, beef, and peppers with injera. Fatira consists of a large fried pancake made with flour, often with a layer of egg, eaten with honey. Chechebsa (or kita firfir) resembles a pancake covered with berbere and kibbeh, or spices and honey, and may be eaten with a spoon.

Gurage cuisine additionally makes use of the false banana plant , a type of ensete. The plant is pulverized and fermented to make a bread-like food called qocho or kocho , which is eaten with kitfo. The root of this plant may be powderized and prepared as a hot drink called bulla, which is often given to those who are tired or ill. Another typical Gurage preparation is coffee with butter (kebbeh).
The most popular Gurage main dish is kitfo. Gomen kitfo is another dish prepared in the occasion of Meskel, a very popular holiday marking the discovery of the True Cross. Collard greens are boiled, dried and then finely chopped and served with butter, chili and spices.

Beverages

Tej is a honey wine, similar to mead, that is frequently drunk in bars . katikal and araki are inexpensive local spirits that are very strong.

Coffee (buna) originates from Ethiopia, and is a central part of Ethiopian beverages. Equally important is the ceremony which accompanies the serving of the coffee, which is sometimes served from a jebena , a clay coffee pot in which the coffee is boiled. In most homes a dedicated coffee area is surrounded by fresh grass, with special furniture for the coffee maker. A complete ceremony has three rounds of coffee and is accompanied by the burning of frankincense.

Serving style

A mesob is a tabletop on which food is traditionally served. The mesob is usually woven from straw. It has a lid that is kept on it until time to eat. Just before the food is ready, a basin of water and soap is brought out for washing one’s hands. When the food is ready, the top is taken off of the mesob and the food is placed in the mesob. When the meal is finished, the basin of water and soap is brought back out for the hands to be washed again.