Let us introduce the Mesob to you:
Whether it’s in modern urban households or in traditional tribal territory, many Ethiopians will eat their meals around a mesob. The mesob is a woven round wicker basket that may sit as high as a metre tall. It includes a top that may be removed to reveal a tray of food in the center. Each diner sits on a short stool called a barchuma, and everyone eats from the same tray of food. The mesob can also be used as a beautiful side table in modern loungerooms.
Injera
Thicker than a crepe and thinner than a pancake, with a pleasantly tangy taste, injera is a sour flatbread that is a staple in Ethiopian cuisine. Injera is usually served with vegetables, lentils, or meat, which you then scoop up by hand using the injera. Injera is made from teff, a type of grain that grows in abundance in the highlands of Ethiopia.
Kitfo
Kitfo is a rich and savoury dish cooked with minced lean beef, spices including the traditional Ethiopian spice combination known as mitmita, and herb-infused clarified butter. Kitfo is well-known for its intense flavour and sumptuous texture.
Tibs
The traditional ingredients for tibs include beef, onions, garlic, hot pepper, and rosemary, all of which are sautéed in butter or oil. It’s a staple of most Ethiopian restaurants and is traditionally eaten with injera.
Extremely adaptable, it may be prepared in a wide variety of ways that differ according to the kind of meat used, how it is cooked, and the vegetables served alongside it. It is an excellent choice for entertaining many guests or having a big family.
Tej
Tej is a liqueur distilled from raw, unfiltered honey that has a smoky, earthy flavour. Laboratory beaker-shaped glasses are the standard for serving Tej. Its golden colour is attributable, in part, to the addition of powdered gesho, which also imparts a hoppiness. Tej is served at special events like weddings and banquets but is also a daily drink at any time of day.
Doro Wot
This chicken stew is a favourite for many Ethiopians. It is flavoured with berbere, a spice blend containing fenugreek, spicy chillies, paprika, cardamom, coriander, and niter kibbeh. The stew is finished with hard-boiled eggs added at the end. Traditionally, injera is paired with doro wat. It’s one of the most well-known Ethiopian dishes and can be seen on menus in Ethiopian restaurants all over the world.
Dulet
Dulet is an Ethiopian delicacy, made from finely diced beef, liver, and lamb tripe. Butter, onions, chilli, cardamom, and pepper are stir-fried with liver and lean meat. Dulet can also be eaten either raw or cooked and it is common for you to be asked how you like your dulet cooked.
Arabica coffee
Ethiopia provides a coffee lover’s dream with some of the world’s best Arabica coffee originating there. Arabica coffee beans have a mild sweetness and often notes of chocolate, almonds, or caramel. Ethiopian Arabica coffee also has hints of fruit and berry flavours. Widely recognized as the birthplace of coffee, a visit to Ethiopia or an Ethiopian restaurant would not be complete without having a coffee – Ethiopian way of course!
These are just some of the amazing dishes that Ethiopia has to offer. The sum of these yields something that is both delicious and nutritious, a win-win!
