Ethiopian cuisine

Ethiopian cuisine (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ምግብ "Ye-Ītyōṗṗyā məgəb") characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes.

This is usually in the form of wat, a thick stew, served on top of injera (Amharic: እንጀራ), a large sourdough flatbread,[1] which is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour.

[2] 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), and is traditionally consumed on the mesob basket.

Quanta (or quwanta), is an air-dried beef jerky with traditional spices; it is eaten on its own as a snack, or as an ingredient in stews and other dishes.

A key component of tradition is injera – a tangy[5] and soft flatbread crafted from teff, an ancient grain native to Ethiopia.

[6] In dining settings, injera is commonly paired with an assortment of wot dishes featuring vegetables, legumes, and meat; one type, doro wot, a spicy chicken stew accentuated with berbere, a spice blend comprising chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and an array of spices, is the national dish of Ethiopia.

[8][9] For example, the enduring Christian beliefs in Ethiopia have impacted the development of plant-based meals due to fasting periods that forbid eating meat.

[10][11] Ethiopian food has been influenced by the country’s geography and its rich agricultural resources, such as lentils, beans, coffee, and various spices.

Meat such as beef (ሥጋ,[16] səga), chicken (ዶሮ,[17] doro or derho), fish (ዓሣ,[18] asa), goat or lamb (በግ,[19] beg or beggi) is also added.

Legumes such as split peas (ክክ,[20] kək or kikki) and lentils (ምስር,[21] məsər or birsin); or vegetables such as potatoes (ድንች,[22] Dənəch), carrots and chard (ቆስጣ) are also used instead in vegan dishes.

The mid-18th-century European visitor to Ethiopia Remedius Prutky [cs] describes tibs as a portion of grilled meat served "to pay a particular compliment or show especial respect to someone.

[24] Once cooked, kinche is combined in the pan with clarified spiced butter, oil, and fried onions, though it can also be enjoyed plain without any additional seasonings.

[25] Azifa is an Ethiopian lentil salad made with mustard seed, jalapeños, and onions, and it is a dish often served cold.

The Amharas' cuisine features a wide variety of dishes and beverages, often centered around injera, a sourdough flatbread made from teff flour.

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.

Collard greens (ጎመን gōmen) are boiled, dried and then finely chopped and served with butter, chili and spices.

The enset plant (called wesse in the Sidamo language) is central to Sidama cuisine and after grinding and fermenting the root to produce wassa, it is used in the preparation of several foods.

Amulcho is an enset flatbread used similarly to injera to eat wats made from beef, mushrooms, beans, gomen, or pumpkin.

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.

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.

Another popular breakfast food is fatira, a large fried pancake made with flour, often with a layer of egg, eaten with honey.

Chechebsa (or kita firfir) resembles a pancake covered with berbere and niter kibbeh, or other spices, and may be eaten with a spoon.

A variation of ful, a fava bean stew with condiments, served with baked rolls instead of injera, is also common for breakfast.

Kolo made from roasted and spiced barley, safflower kernels, chickpeas and/or peanuts are often sold by kiosks and street vendors, wrapped in a paper cone.

[1][38] 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.

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.