
Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Butter)
Abuja, Nigeria ·
Aperçu
Niter Kibbeh is Ethiopia's foundational cooking fat, clarified butter slowly infused with a complex blend of aromatics including onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and fenugreek. The result is a golden, fragrant fat that carries layers of warm spice into every dish it touches, and it is used across Ethiopian cooking as both a cooking medium and a finishing sauce. Unlike regular clarified butter, which is neutral in flavour, Niter Kibbeh is a flavour carrier of extraordinary complexity. A single spoonful transforms a dish. It is used to make Doro Wat, Tibs, and countless other Ethiopian preparations, and its production at home rather than purchase is a point of culinary pride in Ethiopian households.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Niter Kibbeh has been produced in Ethiopia for centuries, with the tradition of infusing butter with aromatics reflecting the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian food culture where clarified butter is preferred over raw butter for its longer shelf life without refrigeration. The specific spice blend varies by region and family, with each household maintaining its own formula passed down through generations.







Couldn't get ground fenugreek at Sainsbury's abeg, had to run to the local Asian corner shop to find it and the green cardamom pods. Simmered mine on low heat for about 50 minutes. The whole flat smelled fantastic, straining through cheesecloth gave a clear spiced butter that worked so well in my red lentil stew.