made for sharing
Words | Sudi Pigott Fragrant spices, rich colours, unique flavours and the customs that surround communal eating make mealtimes in Ethiopia a social and sensual experience LIKE A GREAT, EDIBLE tablecloth, a huge swathe of injera – a flat, spongy, pancake-like bread – is spread over a tray and placed on low, round, wicker tables. [...]
Words | Sudi Pigott
Fragrant spices, rich colours, unique flavours and the customs that surround
communal eating make mealtimes in Ethiopia a social and sensual experience
LIKE A GREAT, EDIBLE tablecloth, a huge swathe of injera – a flat, spongy, pancake-like bread – is spread over a tray and placed on low, round, wicker tables. Perch on a stool and dig in: this is how you eat mosseb traditional Ethiopian style.
It’s the ultimate sharing cuisine, which long predates the tapas tradition and reflects the Ethiopian emphasis on the bonds of friendship and loyalty. As Sophie Sirak-Kebede, chef at London Ethiopian restaurant Tobia (which is just above the Ethiopian Community Centre), explains, it’s a fundamental tenet of Ethiopian philosophy that “those who eat from the same plate will not betray each other”. Dishes
are invariably designed for communal eating and arranged decoratively around the injera, bits of which are torn off and used in place of cutlery to scoop up mouthfuls. Though rarely experienced in restaurants now, the custom of gursha – feeding another guest mouthfuls of food – is still widely upheld in Ethiopian homes and regarded merely as the foodie equivalent of a friendly hug.
What’s on the menu is largely dictated by the Ethiopian Coptic Church, which observes 250 fasting days (every Wednesday marks when Christ was condemned and every Friday when He was crucified) as well as Advent and Lent. On fasting days Ethiopians eat only vegan dishes – such as misor wot, pureed split red lentil simmered in berbere sauce, or simbra asa, which is chickpea flour dumplings in sauce
– and only after 3pm. Meat is central to meals at other times: look out for kitfo, a steak tartare-like dish, which was originally prepared during conflicts so that enemies would not see smoking fires but is now often served mediumrare, and difo tibis, a half-leg of lamb, marinated, covered in banana leaf and served with cracked wheat.
Reflecting the Semitic influences in Ethiopian culture, many diners follow kosher principles and so eat no pork or shellfish. Contrary to popular preconceptions, Ethiopian food uses lots of chilli, but it is spicy rather than hot, and the mildest dishes are known as aletcha.
And the best combinations? Order several meat and
vegetable atkilt side orders – and include fasolia string beans
and carrots sautéed in caramelised onion, and don’t forget
to try biticha chickpea dip mixed with lemon juice.
> ALL ABOUT INJERA
How to make it: Injera is a type of flat bread unique to Ethiopia, made from the Ethiopian grain teff. Teff has been farmed since around 4,000 BC and means “lost” – so-called because it is one of the smallest grains in the world, with each grain about the size of a poppy seed. Teff is gluten-free, high in protein and richer in fibre than any other grain, and it’s also an exceptionally good source of calcium, iron and amino acids (as it’s too small to hull, its nutrients stay intact) – which is why it is reputed to be popular with athletes. To make injera the grain is fermented with yeast over a three- to five-day period until it releases air bubbles and turns distinctly tangy, making it the perfect sour-tasting foil to more spicy dishes.
How to eat it:How to eat it: Tear off strips, then wrap them tightly around a mouthful-portion of food from another dish and
transport this speedily to the mouth to minimise dripping. It’s acceptable to sample more than one dish on each scoop trip – and licking fingers is de rigeur. Finally, you get to eat the injera “tablecloth” soaked with flavourful juices at the end of the meal.
>TRY THESE:
Wot: A kind of thick, dark-red stew which can be made
with chicken and hard-boiled eggs (chicken doro wot is a perennial favourite), lamb or beef, cooked with berbere,
slow-cooked onions, garlic and spiced, clarified butter.
Fit-fit: A milder version of wot made with tomato and onions and pieces of injera, served in a white sauce.
Tibis: Made up of diced lamb, chicken or fish with red onion and green chilli, tibis is served with awaze, or
condiments flavoured with spices, mustard or tej (the Ethiopian equivalent to wine) and a traditional salad of tomato, onions, jalapeno peppers and lime.
Anfele: A rare speciality. Rather like a fondue, strips of lamb and vegetables are dipped into a chilli rich sauce.
Ayib: While Ethiopians wouldn’t serve a cheese-board, a homemade cottage cheese known as ayib, flavoured
with spinach or the spice seasoning mitmita, is often servedto accompany meat dishes, such as kitfo.
Ethiopian sashimi: A special treat – fish served raw with spiced clarified oil. Sophie Sirak-Kebede at Tobia
uses tuna, but red mullet is often used, too.
Tej: A honey wine or mead which dates back to the reign of the Queen of Sheba. Tej is produced from wild flower
honey and hops and is semi-sweet with a golden colour as well as tasting fruity with a flowery aroma.
>THE MOST IMPORTANT ETHIOPIAN SPICES
Berbere: The quintessential Ethiopian spice berbere is
prepared with sun-dried chilli pepper, garlic, ginger and the
herbs coriander and rue – as well as more than 20 other
aromatic spices. This is the source of the dark-red colour
associated with Ethiopian dishes, especially stews, or wots.
Awaze: A red chilli paste with ginger, garlic and
other spices which is served with many meat dishes.
Mitmita: Bird’s eye red chilli spiced with cardamom
and salt, usually served with kitfo.
Kibe butter: Flavoured with garlic, ginger, red onions,
onion seed, coriander, basil, cumin and up to 30
spices, Tobia chef Sophie Sirak-Kebede advises: “A good
kibe should be so balanced and intense it is impossible
to identify single spices.” The clarification process,
which is used to give a more pungent aromatic flavour,
also causes most of the fat to evaporate and so kibe
is believed to be a healthier form of butter.
>THE COFFEE CEREMONY
The very term coffee, meaning “the land or plant of God”,
derives from Kaffa, a region in southwest Ethiopia, where it’s
believed it was first discovered. Ethiopians don’t do dessert
(except fresh fruit with honey), but they do allow at least
30 minutes for the sacred coffee ceremony, a ritual infused
with social, symbolic and religious meaning. It starts with
the deeply aromatic fresh coffee beans themselves, which
are shaken and roasted on a small open fire until they pop.
The roasted coffee is then paraded round in a long-handled
pan, and frankincense is burned to add to the aromas.
The coffee is then ground in a heavy wooden mukecha
(like a mortar and pestle). The crushed coffee is put into a
traditional clay pot, or jebena, with water, and boiled over
an open fire so the aroma fills the room. It is then served in
very small cups. There’s also a traditional saying: “Don’t bring
coffee naked” – and so roasted wheat is usually served as an
accompaniment. The Ethiopians customarily have a minimum
of three servings of coffee, each with its own name, starting
with abol, then huletegna and lastly bereka – and it’s frowned
upon to leave the table before these have been drunk.
WHEN IN ETHIOPIA…
Street food is relatively rare as there is such a strong
commitment to eating communally, but popular street
vendor options are quanta, air-dried beef seasoned
with coriander and fried or qualima, spicy beef sausage.
ETHIOPIAN DINING IN THE UK
Whet your appetite before a trip to Addis Ababa by
indulging in the following:
IN LONDON:
Tobia 1st floor, Ethiopian Community Centre,
2A Lithos Road, London, NW3 6EF, +44 (0)20 7431
4213; www.tobiarestaurant.co.uk
Stylish dining combined with plenty of ancient family
recipes (including gouramailia – strips of beef and
tongue with spiced cottage cheese) and traditional
dishes, including a huge number of vegetarian and
vegan choices. Musicians and regional dancers
perform on the first Saturday of each month.
Senke 1B-1C Rock Street, Finsbury Park, London,
N4 2DN, +44 (0)20 7359 7687
A long and interesting menu includes traditional
breakfast specialities such as foule (mashed broad
beans mixed with seasoned clarified butter, green
chillies, shallots, strained yoghurt and tomatoes)
and spicy porridge made with “false banana” – an
Ethiopian root vegetable known as bula, which
looks like banana but is starchy and milky in flavour.
The dining area has both conventional tables and
traditional low-level seating.
Queen of Sheba 12 Fortress Road, Kentish Town,
London, NW5 2EU, +44 (0)20 7284 3947
This place is renowned for its delicious vegetable
dishes, including crushed roasted chickpeas in hot
sauce. Organic produce is used where possible, too.
The coffee ceremony is fantastic here, and its bamboo
and wood dining room has a cheerful, laid-back vibe.
Lalibela 137 Fortress Road, Kentish Town,
London, NW5 2HR, + 44 (0)20 7284 0600
This art gallery/restaurant is good for newcomers
to Ethiopian cuisine. The lamb and pumpkin wot is
particularly good, as is the spiced coffee.
AND NATIONWIDE IN THE UK:
Habesha 29-31 Sackville Street, Manchester, M1 3NZ,
+44 (0)161 228 7396
Come here for traditional dishes served mosseb style.
Café D’Afrique 19 Victoria Street, Coventry, CV1 5NA
+44 (0)247 655 3890
Serves a range of traditional dishes and also holds
regular cultural music evenings.
The Blue Nile 60 Keyhill Drive, Hockley, Birmingham,
B18 5NX, +44 (0)121 551 9225
The Blue Nile is renowned locally for its doro wot,
chicken stew with egg.
