Ethiopian Food

Food Options

Home to the African Union, various United Nations offices, and countless foreign NGOs, Addis Ababa is very much an international city and visitors can enjoy all types of cuisine. Outside of the capital, your food options are more limited. The major tourist destinations usually have good - some very good - western fare, but in the more remote areas, injera with various meat, vegetables, and "wot" will be your primary option. Various pasta dishes are also widely available.
Bottled mineral water, sparkling and still, is available throughout the country. In most towns an assortment of fresh-squeezed juices or smoothies are available. Home to a surprising number of breweries, Ethiopia boasts some very good beers. Ethiopian wine is sweet for many foreigners' taste, but if you enjoy a drink now and then, you should definitely try "tej," a, home-made honey wine found throughout the country.

Ethiopian cuisine consists of a variety of tasty stews, fresh vegetables, and meat, all served on the traditional bread "injera."

Injera and Wot

Cooking Injera

Most Ethiopian food is served alongside injera, the staple food of the country. Injera is a flat, soft, and spongy bread. It can be made with different types of grains and therefore comes in a few different flavors and colors. Generally, it has a tangy, almost sour taste, but the flavor is not overpowering at all. Usually, a few different wots will be served with injera. The wot is the traditional dish of Ethiopia and are mixtures of vegetables, meats, spices and sauces. Usually, wots are spicy, but there is an extraordinary variety including non-spicy options. Wots are served on top of injera - the bread will be rolled out into a sheet with the wots placed directly on it; the injera acts simultaneously as a plate and a utensil.

Mealtime Etiquette

Most traditional Ethiopian food is eaten with the hands; this is done by tearing off a piece of injera, using it to grab some food, and putting it directly in your mouth.
Traditional meals are eaten from a communal plate, but you should not reach all the way across to the other side to grab food; eat what is close to you.
It is polite to eat with your right hand - the left is considered unclean and therefore you should avoid using it if you can.
There will always be a way to wash your hands before and after the meal. Sometimes a waiter will bring a basin and pitcher to the table.
When greeting others at a restaurant, often they will have already washed their hands or already be eating. In place of a handshake, they will offer you their wrist; lightly grasp their wrist but do not shake it. If your hands aren’t suitable for a handshake either, you can touch your wrist to theirs.
The gursha is a gesture when a person will carefully place a morsel of food directly into your mouth. It is a gesture of respect and it is courteous to accept it.
If you are invited into someone’s home, take your shoes off if they remove theirs. Greet each person present (starting with oldest first.) Always allow any elders to begin eating before you do. If you are the oldest present, Ethiopians will patiently wait until you begin to eat.
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fast two days a week (Wednesday and Friday) and for the two months before Easter. On these days, observant Christians do not eat or drink until 3pm and also completely refrain from eating animal products (except for fish.)

"Ful"

A hearty breakfast dish made with fava beans, eggs, tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

"Doro Wot"

A chicken stew cooked in a spicy wot and served with a hard boiled egg.

"Fasting Food"

"Fasting food" is essentially vegan with the exception of fish.

"Gored-gored"

Many Ethiopians enjoy raw beef. The meat is very fresh and of the highest quality.

Coffee or "Buna"

Ethiopia is famous for its delicious coffee. Coffee ceremonies and cafés are ubiquitous.

"Tibs"

Beef or lamb cut into pieces and fried or grilled with peppers and onions.

Fresh Juice

Fruit juices are available throughout Ethiopia. Try a “spriss,” a mixture of mango, papaya, and avocado.

"Fetira"

A flaky, pancake-like pastry filled with vegetables, meat, fruit, or eggs. Almost always served with honey.

Ethiopian coffee is legendary in reputation and tradition. According to folklore, it was discovered by an Ethiopian goat-herder named Kaldi, who noticed that when his goats ate the berries of a certain bush, they became more energetic. This prompted Kaldi to test out the beans himself, and when he felt the vitality that the beans gave him, he instantly knew that he had made an important discovery.
Today, coffee beans are one of the major exports of Ethiopia - constituting around 30% of Ethiopia’s annual export revenue. Almost 1/4 of the population depends on the coffee trade as its source of income. Farmers have cultivated coffee using the same methods for hundreds of years and the work is still done almost exclusively by hand. Ethiopia grows a few different of varieties of coffee: Sidamo, Harar, Limu, and Yirgacheffe, all named after the region where they are grown.

Coffee farmer in western Ethiopia.