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Ethiopian food is one of the most unique and flavorful in the world. With its use of hearty ingredients like lentils, split peas, and lots of spices, Ethiopian food manages to be both comforting and exotic at the same time.
At the center of any Ethiopian meal is injera, a spongy flatbread made from teff flour. Injera serves as both plate and utensil, with stews, vegetables, and meat placed atop the large round injera, which diners use to scoop up the food. Most dishes come as wot, a thick stew made with meat, legumes, or vegetables.
While some wots are mild, many are flavored with berbere, a complex and fiery spice blend containing up to 16 ingredients like chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, rue, ajwain, nigella, and fenugreek.
Ethiopian cuisine has been influenced by the country’s cultural interactions with Arabia, India, and the Mediterranean over centuries of trade. One of the most significant influences has been the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which prescribes numerous fasts, including over 200 days of vegan fasting per year. As a result, Ethiopian cuisine has developed many flavorful vegan dishes.
While Ethiopian food is gaining popularity internationally, most restaurants outside of Ethiopia serve a limited sampling of dishes compared to what you’ll find in the country. To truly experience the diversity of Ethiopian food, one must travel to Ethiopia.
10 of The Best Traditional Ethiopian Food
Injera
As the foundation of Ethiopian cuisine, we must start with injera itself. This sour, spongy flatbread is made from teff, the smallest grain in the world. To make injera, teff flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, giving it a mildly sour taste. The batter is then poured onto a large circular griddle and cooked into a giant crepe.
The unique texture and taste of injera might take some getting used to, but most travelers are won over after their first Ethiopian meal. When serving food, injera is laid out like a large edible napkin. Food is scooped up by pinching off pieces of the injera with the fingers. Don’t expect any utensils with traditional Ethiopian food!
What Does Injera Taste Like?
Injera has a unique taste that takes some getting used to. The spongy teff-based flatbread has a mildly sour and tangy flavor from the fermentation process used to make it.
There are also grassy, barnyard notes that come from the teff grain itself. The texture is equally important, with an unusual porousness that soaks up sauces and stews. Overall, injera provides a tangy contrast to the rich wot stews.
Doro Wat
Doro wat is one of Ethiopia’s national dishes and a great introduction to the layered flavors of Ethiopian cuisine. This chicken stew starts off with onions slowly caramelized in niter kibbeh, a type of clarified butter. Chicken pieces and hard-boiled eggs are added to the onions and simmered with berbere spice blend, garlic, ginger, and tomato paste.
The result is a rich, spicy, and comforting stew. Doro wat is served atop injera like most Ethiopian dishes. Don’t forget to scoop up some hard-boiled egg, which soaks up the flavorful sauce. This dish is often served for special occasions and holidays.
Kitfo
Kitfo is a popular Ethiopian starter made of lean beef minced and warmed in a pan with butter, mitmita spice mix, and sometimes thyme. It can be served completely raw (kitfo leb leb) or lightly cooked (kitfo leb). Some restaurants will mix in ayibe, a mild Ethiopian cheese, gomen, minced spinach, or collard greens.
Kitfo packs a punch of flavor and texture with the hot mitmita playing off the creamy cheese and soft injera. Locals usually scoop up the kitfo with pieces of injera. Travelers who are squeamish about raw meat can request kitfo leb leb or tibs, the cooked version.
Shiro Wat
Shiro wat is a hearty stew made from ground chickpeas or fava beans. Onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes simmer in niter kibbeh before chickpea flour is added and slowly cooked to a smooth and creamy consistency.
Shiro has a texture similar to hummus and is a comforting and filling vegetarian dish. It’s a vegan alternative to the meat-based wots and just as flavorful. Shiro is served on injera like most Ethiopian dishes.
Fir Fir
Looking for Ethiopian comfort food? Try fir fir; scrambled eggs simmered in berbere sauce and niter kibbeh. Onions, tomatoes, and chili peppers are added for extra flavor. Fir fir makes a satisfying brunch or late night meal after a long night out.
It’s usually served with bread for dipping, though some restaurants may offer it with injera. This dish is also popular in neighboring Eritrea. Once you try fir fir at home, you may never want scrambled eggs the same way again!
Tibs
Tibs refer to sautéed meat dishes, usually beef or lamb. While doro wat and other wots are spicy stews, tibs bring milder pan-fried flavor. Meat is seasoned with garlic, onion, berbere, and other spices, then quickly cooked to desired doneness.
The slight char on the meat gives great texture. Tibs dishes come in many variations made with lamb, beef, goat, fish, or chicken. Some restaurants serve tibs on clay plates with an open flame below to keep cooking the meat at the table. The combination of mild tibs and fiery awaze dipping sauce is perfect with injera.
Ful
Ful, pronounced “fool,” is a hearty stew of fava beans cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes, chili peppers, and olive oil. Eggs are sometimes added too. Ful stalls are popular breakfast spots around Ethiopia, especially in Addis Ababa.
Locals will order ful with fresh bread for scooping up the stew. The beans become soft and creamy after long cooking, almost refried bean-like. Ful provides protein and carbs, making it excellent fuel for a day of exploring Ethiopia’s historic cities.
Sambusa
Sambusas are fried or baked pastry pockets stuffed with lentils or ground meat. They make a great snack or appetizer with a meat or vegetarian filling. The pastry shell can be pillowy, soft, or crispy, depending on the preparation.
Sambusas are found all over Ethiopia’s capital city, from street food carts to restaurants. They’re the Ethiopian take on samosas with local spices and flavors. Try dipping them in awaze sauce for an extra kick.
Genfo
Genfo is a tasty porridge served for breakfast in Ethiopia, especially in more rural areas. The porridge is made from barley or wheat flour stirred into boiling water and then boiled until it reaches a thick, sticky consistency.
At the table, genfo is scooped onto injera and served with a dollop of niter kibbeh infused with berbere. The spicy clarified butter can then be swirled into the porridge. Some restaurants serve genfo topped with melted niter kibbeh and berbere. The combination of hearty grains and spicy niter kibbeh makes for a satisfying and traditional breakfast.
Macchiato
You can’t talk about Ethiopian cuisine without mentioning coffee. Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica coffee, which likely originated in the southwest forests before spreading around the globe.
Coffee holds an important place in Ethiopia’s culture and preparation rituals. An Ethiopian coffee ceremony can last 2-3 hours as the beans are roasted, ground, and slowly brewed before enjoying up to 3 cups each.
While Ethiopian coffee is outstanding prepared traditionally, the country’s modern coffeehouse culture and espresso drinks shouldn’t be overlooked either. Macchiatos at cafes in Addis Ababa and elsewhere are fantastic.
The combination of smooth Ethiopian coffee and milky froth makes macchiatos the perfect pick-me-up while exploring Ethiopia’s bustling cities.
What Meat Do They Eat in Ethiopia?
Ethiopian dishes like wat stews and tibs frequently feature beef, lamb, chicken, or goat. With a population that is 60% Christian and 34% Muslim, pork is not widely eaten except in areas with significant religious minorities.
Beef is popular nationwide and features in dishes like kitfo (minced raw beef), gored gored (cubed raw beef), derek tibs (pan-fried beef), and siga wat (spicy beef stew). Lamb also shows up in many classic meat dishes. Doro wat and chicken tibs are favorites that highlight the taste of chicken.
Goat meat occasionally makes its way into stews and tibs dishes as well. For Muslims who don’t eat pork, lamb and goat offer red meat alternatives to beef.
Why Ethiopians Don’t Eat Pork?
The majority of Ethiopians avoid pork for religious reasons. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church prohibits pork consumption as part of its dietary restrictions. Similarly, Islamic dietary laws forbid pork consumption.
As a result, pork is not widely eaten or added to Ethiopian cuisine, except in areas with significant religious minorities.
The pork taboo has shaped the primary meats used in Ethiopian dishes to focus on lamb, goat, beef, and chicken. For most Ethiopians, pork avoidance is tied to faith traditions and norms.
How to Eat Ethiopian Food
Ethiopian food is eaten communally, without cutleries. Pieces of spongy injera flatbread are used to scoop up stews, vegetables, and meats placed on top of a large injera.
Use your right hand to tear off injera pieces and grab food. Experience the unique textures and flavors of Ethiopian cuisine with your hands. Embrace the communal sharing of dishes at the center of traditional meals.
Conclusion
Ethiopian cuisine offers a sensory feast with its use of colorful ingredients, rich textures, and complex flavors. The shared injera platter makes for a communal dining experience unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Travelers venturing beyond Addis Ababa will be rewarded with regional specialties not often found in Ethiopian restaurants overseas. From the raw meats of the north to Wat stews of the south, Ethiopian food provides a tasty avenue to explore the culture and landscapes.
Planning a trip to Ethiopia? Give yourself enough time to get out of the capital and explore lesser visited destinations like Harar, Gondar, Lalibela, and the national parks, where you can experience food prepared as locals have for generations.
Ordering a variety plate at restaurants lets you sample several Ethiopian specialties in one sitting. Don’t be afraid to use your hands and get messy! Embrace the communal dining experience shared by so many Ethiopians.
While Ethiopian food may be new to you, don’t hesitate to ask questions if you encounter something unfamiliar on the menu. Going to markets is also a great chance to see Ethiopian ingredients in their fresh form before ending up on your injera. The fertile highlands produce a bounty of flavorful fruits, vegetables, and spices you won’t find back home.
Like the outdoor coffee ceremonies, savor your time enjoying Ethiopia’s cuisine. Let the meals be an integral part of discovering the welcoming culture and captivating landscapes of this diverse country.
The memories of meals in Ethiopia will likely stay with you even longer than the photos. Hopefully, this guide provides inspiration to venture beyond bland hotel buffets and sample the incredible flavors waiting around every corner. Yequlall! (Enjoy your meal!)
