Ethiopian cuisine
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Ethiopian cuisine (
The
Overview
A typical dish consists of injera accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, lamb, vegetables and various types of legumes, such as lentils is traditionally consumed on the
Due in part to the brief
Restrictions of certain meats
Traditional ingredients
Mitmita (
In their adherence to strict fasting, Ethiopian cooks have developed a rich array of cooking oil sources—besides sesame and safflower—for use as a substitute for animal fats which are forbidden during fasting periods. Ethiopian cuisine also uses nug (also spelled noog, also known as "niger seed").[2]
Dishes
Wat
(ቆስጣ) are also used instead in vegan dishes.
Each variation is named by appending the main ingredient to the type of wat (e.g. kek alicha wat). However, the word keiy is usually not necessary, as the spicy variety is assumed when it is omitted (e.g. doro wat). The term atkilt wat is sometimes used to refer to all vegetable dishes, but a more specific name can also be used (as in dinich'na caroht wat, which translates to "potatoes and carrots stew"; but the word atkilt is usually omitted when using the more specific term).
Tibs
Meat along with vegetables are sautéed to make tibs (also tebs, t'ibs, tibbs, etc., Ge'ez: ጥብስ ṭïbs). Tibs is served in a variety of manners, and can range from hot to mild or contain little to no vegetables. There are many variations of the delicacy, depending on type, size or shape of the cuts of meat used. Beef, mutton, and goat are the most common meats used in the preparation of tibs.
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."[16] It may still be seen this way; today the dish is prepared to commemorate special events and holidays.
Kinche (qinch'e)
Kinche (qinch’e), a porridge, is a very common Ethiopian breakfast or supper. It is simple, inexpensive, and nutritious. It is made from cracked wheat, Ethiopian oats, barley or a mixture of those. It can be boiled in either milk or water with a little salt. The flavor of kinche comes from the nit'ir qibe, which is a spiced butter.[17]
Salads
Azifa is an Ethiopian lentil salad made with mustard seed, jalapeños, and onions, and it is a dish often served cold.[18][19][20] Buticha is an Ethiopian chickpea salad which is often served cold,[21][18] and is sometimes compared to hummus.
Ethnic dishes
Oromo dishes
The
- Foon Waaddii – minced roasted meat; specially seasoned
- Anchotte – a common dish in the western part of Oromia
- Baduu – liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained (cheese)
- Maarqaa – porridge like substance made from wheat, milk, chili and spices
- Chechebsaa – shredded biddenastir-fried with chili powder and cheese
- Qoocco – also known as kocho, it is not the Gurage type of kocho but a different kind; a common dish in the western part of Oromia
- Itto – comprises all sorts of vegetables (tomato, potato, ginger, garlic), meat (lamb)
- Chukkoo – also known as Micira; a sweet flavor of whole grain, seasoned with butter and spices[23]
- Chororsaa – a common dish in the western part of Oromia
- Hulbata- slow cooked thick stew, made up of organic fenugreek seed powder, potato, lamb rib or loin chops seasoned with chili, garlic and tomato spices served on top of Biddena; mostly cooked in East Hararghe Zone and West Hararghe Zone of Oromia
- Dokkee – a common dish throughout Oromia state
- Qince – similar to Marqaa but made from shredded grains as opposed to flour
- Qorso (Akayi) – as snacks Oromia state
- Dadhii – a drink made from honey
- Hanida/Haneed– slow-roasted lamb dish usually served with rice
- Shitney/Shatta sauce– a mixture of herbs and peppers used as a side for hanida
- Farsho – Beer like, made from barley
- Buna – a lot of coffee[24]
Gurage dishes
Kitfo
Another distinctively Ethiopian dish is kitfo (frequently spelled ketfo). It consists of raw (or rare) beef mince marinated in mitmita (Ge'ez: ሚጥሚጣ mīṭmīṭā a very spicy chili powder similar to berbere) and niter kibbeh. Gored gored is very similar to kitfo, but uses cubed rather than ground beef.
Ayibe
Ayibe (or Ayeb) is a local cheese made from the curds of buttermilk that is mild and crumbly, close in texture to crumbled feta.[25][19] Although not quite pressed, the whey has been drained and squeezed out.[19] It is often served as a side dish to soften the effect of very spicy food. It has little to no distinct taste of its own. However, when served separately, ayibe is often mixed with a variety of mild or hot spices typical of Gurage cuisine.[26]
Gomen kitfo
Gomen kitfo is another typical Gurage dish.
Sidama dishes
Wassa
The
Borasaame
Borasaame is a cooked mixture of wassa and butter sometimes eaten with
Amulcho
Amulcho is an enset flatbread used similarly to injera to eat wats made from beef, mushrooms, beans, gomen, or pumpkin.
Gomen ba siga
Gomen ba siga (ጎመን በስጋ, Amharic: "cabbage with meat") is a stewed mixture of beef and Ethiopian mustard served under a layer of amulcho bread.
Maize
A commonly grown crop in Sidama, maize (badela in Sidaamu; also known as "corn" in North America) is often eaten as a snack with coffee. It can be ground into flour to make bread, roasted on the cob, or the kernels can be picked off to make bokolo, which is served either boiled or roasted.
Breakfast
Fit-fit or fir-fir is a common breakfast dish. It is made from shredded injera or kitcha stir-fried with spices or wat. Another popular breakfast food is fatira, a large fried pancake made with flour, often with a layer of egg, eaten with honey.
, which is another common breakfast dish. It is usually served in a large bowl with a dug-out made in the middle of the genfo and filled with spiced niter kibbeh.
A variation of ful, a fava bean stew with condiments, served with baked rolls instead of injera, is also common for breakfast.
Snacks
Typical Ethiopian snacks are
Beverages
Traditional alcoholic beverages
There are many different traditional alcoholic drinks which are home made and of natural ingredients.
Tella
Tella is a home-brewed beer served in tella bet ("tella houses") which specialize in serving only tella. Tella is the most common beverage made and served in households during holidays.
It is an alcoholic drink which is prepared from bikil (barley) as main ingredient and gesho (Rhamnus prinoides) for fermentation purpose.
In
Tej (honey wine)
Tej is a potent honey wine.[1] It is similar to mead, and is frequently served in bars, particularly in a tej bet or "tej house".
It is prepared from honey and gesho. It has a sweet taste and the alcoholic content is relatively higher than tella. This drink can be stored for a long time; the longer it is stored, the higher the alcohol content, and the stronger the taste.
Areki (katikala)
Areki, also known as katikala, is probably the strongest alcoholic drink of Ethiopia.[27] It is a home distilled spirit that is often filtered through charcoal to remove off tastes or flavored by smoking or infusion with garlic.
Non-alcoholic beverages
Ethiopians have diverse traditional non-alcoholic drinks which include natural and healthy ingredients.
Kenetto (keribo)
Kenetto, also known as keribo, is a non-alcoholic traditional drink. It is mostly used as substitute for tella for those who don't drink alcohol.[28]
Borde
Borde is a cereal-based traditional
Manufactured drinks
Just like the rest of the world, Ethiopians also enjoy several
Ambo Mineral Water or Ambo wuha is a bottled carbonated mineral water, sourced from the springs in Ambo Senkele near the town of Ambo.[1][29]
Non-alcoholic brews (hot drinks)
Atmet
Atmet is a barley- and oat-flour based drink that is cooked with water, sugar and kibe (Ethiopian clarified butter) until the ingredients have combined to create a consistency slightly thicker than eggnog. Though this drink is often given to women who are nursing, the sweetness and smooth texture make it a comfort drink for anyone who enjoys its flavor.
Coffee
According to some sources, drinking of coffee (buna) is likely to have originated in Ethiopia.[1] A key national beverage, it is an important part of local commerce.[30]
The
Snacks, such as popcorn or toasted barley (or
Tea (shai)
Tea will most likely be served if coffee is declined. Tea is grown in Ethiopia at Gumaro and Wushwush.
Boiled coffee leaves
Across southern Ethiopia, many groups drink boiled coffee leaves, called kuti among the Harari in the east and kaari among the Majang in the west. This is often made with widely varying seasonings and spices, such as sugar, salt, rue, hot peppers, ginger. The Ethiopian Food Safety Authority has registered the safety of coffee leaf infusions with the European Union.[31]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Javins, Marie. "Eating and Drinking in Ethiopia." Archived 31 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Gonomad.com. Accessed July 2011.
- ^ a b Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A history of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 12 and note
- ^ Shinn, David. Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Scarecrow Press. p. 198.
- ^ "Uses of Enset". The 'Tree Against Hunger': Enset-Based Agricultural Systems in Ethiopia. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 1997. Archived from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
- ^ Peter, K.V. (2012). Handbook of herbs and spices Volume 2. p. 124.
- ^ Debrawork Abate (c. 2003) [c. 2001]. የባህላዌ መግቦች አዘገጃጀት [Traditional Food Preparation] (in Amharic) (2nd ed.). Addis Ababa: Mega Asatame Derjet (Mega Publisher Enterprise). pp. 22–23.
- ^ Gall, Alevtina; Zerihun Shenkute (3 November 2009). "Ethiopian Traditional and Herbal Medications and their Interactions with Conventional Drugs". EthnoMed. University of Washington. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ Mesfin, D.J. Exotic Ethiopian Cooking (2006): 20. Falls Church, VA: Ethiopian Cookbooks Enterprises
- ^ Selam Soft, "ሥጋ", Amharic-English Dictionary, 4/30/13
- ^ Selam Soft, "ዶሮ", Amharic-English Dictionary, 4/30/13
- ^ Selam Soft, "ዓሣ", Amharic-English Dictionary, 4/30/13
- ^ Selam Soft, "'በግ, Amharic-English Dictionary', 4/30/13
- ^ Selam Soft, "ክክ", Amharic-English Dictionary, 4/30/13
- ^ Selam Soft, "ምስር", Amharic-English Dictionary, 4/30/13
- ^ Selam Soft, "ድንች", Amharic-English Dictionary, 4/30/13
- ^ J.H. Arrowsmith-Brown (trans.), Prutky's Travels in Ethiopia and other Countries with notes by Richard Pankhurst (London: Hakluyt Society, 1991), p. 286
- ^ slow food foundation for biodiversity
- ^ ISBN 978-1-77151-363-0.
- ^ a b c Zeppieri, Susan (13 July 2021). Keto Ethiopian Style: Guide To Ethiopian Keto. Susan Zeppieri. p. 31.
- ^ "Azifa (Ethiopian Lentil Salad)". Bruno Spice. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023.
- ^ "Buticha (Ethiopian chickpea flour salad)". Bruno Spice. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023.
- ^ Let Us Talk About Food: Oromo vs. Ethiopian, 7 June 2009, retrieved 7 June 2009
- ^ Ethiopia: Special Cuisines As a Symbol of Oromo Lifestyle, 15 September 2020, retrieved 15 September 2020
- ^ "Let Us Talk About Food: Oromo vs. Ethiopian". 7 June 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
- ^ "Ayeb (Ethiopian Cheese)". Brundo Spice Company. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Tara (6 September 2019). "Ayib (Homemade Fresh Cheese) and Ethiopia Cookbook Review". Tara's Multicultural Table. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ )
- S2CID 103268712.
- ^ "About us". Ambo Mineral Water. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ "Ethiopia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- S2CID 243369943.
External links
- Mesob Across America: Ethiopian Food in the U.S.A. A book about the history and culture of Ethiopian cuisine
- Ethiopian Restaurant Guide A guide to Ethiopian restaurants in the USA. Includes video visits to some restaurants
- All About Tej An extensive website about the Ethiopian honey wine
- Raw Meat, a Manly Ethiopian Dish The Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2011
- Ethiopian Spices by Fassica - Authentic Ethiopian Food and Spices