is served of the same type daily. There are necessary foods that must be eaten and
others are essential to making a meal complete and taste good. Many traditional foods
are dishes of stews or pot meals. As well as the traditional foods, Ethiopian food has
been known to be hot and spicy!
Ethiopian food is based on a staple grain called, Teff. Teff is made into dough which
is cooked into a flat pancake thin bread called Injera. This bread that is made is used
to scoop up and wrap food in place of utensils. This bread is eaten with various types of stew.
These kinds of stews will be mentioned later in the page.
Ethiopia has been described as the land of bread and honey. All food comes from the land,
everyone "lives off the land."
A necessary element of Ethiopian cooking is called Berbere. This is a red paste made up
of a multitude of spices and herbs. Berbre is always prepared before any other part of the meal
is made.
Wat is the traditional Ethiopian dish. This dish served with the Injera can be prepared with
chicken (doro) or beef (sik sik). At times it can be vegetarian or contain fish. This dish is very spicy.
Another important ingredient of the cuisine is butter. This butter is flavored with onions, garlic,
ginger and spices. The traditional name of this butter is niter kebbeh. Ethiopia has been able to
keep this a secret from the culinary world!
Legumbres are very important part of the vegetarian meals. Common legumbres include lentils and
chicken peas. The cooked legumbres can be ground into flour and used as a base for vegetarian fritters.
Beverages in Ethiopia are made from local ingredients. Tej is an ancient honey based wine which, is
drank at most meals. Talla is a beer made form local grain that often is accompanied by snack nuts
or crackers. Coffee usually finishes off a traditional meal, sweetened with honey.
Some foods are only used on occasion for other purposes. A custom is that for Orthodox, Christians,
and Muslims not to eat Pork Shiro Wat, a popular vegetable stew is used mostly for religious fasting.
There are not wide varieties of desserts served after meals. Iab, which is cottage cheese and yogurt
with herbs giving it a lemon flavor is known at the traditional dessert.
These foods are the foods served daily and for most occasions. Wat is the stew that can be served
with lamb, chicken, beef, vegetables, and fish, giving the main dish a variety. The food is simple
but spicy! Overall Ethiopian foods are a delight to eat all over the world!
