What to eat in Ethiopia: injera, wat and beyond

Ethiopian food is unlike anything else in Africa, or anywhere else. It is eaten together, by hand, from a single shared platter, and it is built on injera: a large, soft, slightly sour flatbread with a spongy surface made for soaking up sauce.

Injera and teff

Injera is made from teff, a tiny grain domesticated in the Ethiopian highlands. The batter ferments for several days before it is poured onto a large clay griddle, the mitad. Teff is naturally gluten-free, though some injera is mixed with other flours, so ask if that matters to you.

Dishes to try

• Doro wat: chicken slow-cooked for hours with onions, spiced butter and berbere, served with a hard-boiled egg. It is the festive dish, served at Genna and Fasika.
• Shiro: a smooth, comforting stew of ground chickpeas or broad beans. Everyday food, and delicious.
• Tibs: pieces of beef or lamb sautéed with onion, rosemary and chilli, often brought sizzling in a clay pot.
• Kitfo: minced beef seasoned with spiced butter and mitmita, traditionally eaten raw. Ask for it leb leb, lightly warmed, or fully cooked.
• Beyaynetu: a colourful platter of vegetable and lentil dishes, ideal for trying a bit of everything.

A paradise for vegans

Orthodox Christians fast, abstaining from all animal products, on Wednesdays and Fridays and during long periods such as the 55 days before Easter. As a result, almost every restaurant serves yetsom, fasting food, and Ethiopia is one of the easiest countries in the world to travel as a vegan.

Spices and butter

• Berbere: the red spice blend at the heart of the cuisine, with chilli, fenugreek, ginger, korarima and more. Every family has its own.
• Mitmita: a hotter, orange chilli powder, served on the side.
• Niter kibbeh: clarified butter infused with spices, which gives many dishes their depth.

How to eat

• Eat with your right hand: tear off a piece of injera and use it to pinch up the food.
• Don’t worry about making a mess; your hosts will be delighted you’re trying.
• If someone feeds you a mouthful by hand, that is gursha, a sign of affection and respect. Accept it with a smile.

End the evening in a tej bet with a glass of tej, the golden honey wine, and an azmari singer improvising verses about the guests.