Food in Ethiopia is characterized by the fact that in large cities you can taste both local and international cuisine (food prices in the country are moderate).
Food in Ethiopia
Ethiopian cuisine was influenced by the culinary traditions of neighboring countries (Somalia, Eritrea). Its main difference lies in the absence of cutlery and plates - instead of them, injera (teff cake) is used, and the use of all kinds of spices, which are used to season almost all dishes and drinks (cardamom, thyme, saffron, mustard, red pepper, basil, coriander).
The Ethiopian diet consists of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes.
In Ethiopia, you should eat a dish of stewed eggs and onions, seasoned with spices ("wat"); fried meat in a spicy sauce (“tybsy”); steamed meat with sauce and local cabbage ("bryndo"); eggs in African style (toasted bread with ham and soft-boiled eggs on top).
Lovers of exotic will be able to taste "akpolukaza" - a dish made from palm leaves and several types of worms; spiders and locusts fried in palm oil; meat of snakes, lizards and crocodiles.
And those with a sweet tooth should try breadfruit (their taste resembles gingerbread), fresh and fruit in syrup, jelly, mousse.
Where to eat in Ethiopia?
At your service:
- national, Chinese, Indian, Italian cafes and restaurants;
- eateries and other fast food establishments.
The local cuisine cannot be called healthy and tasty, because often in national establishments, guests are served overcooked fish, overcooked vegetables and stewed meat. In addition, in Ethiopian restaurants, it is not uncommon for the uneaten food of yesterday to be fried in oil the next day, thus “creating” a new dish.
Drinks in Ethiopia
Popular Ethiopian drinks are coffee, tea, juices, camel milk, barley beer (tella), white and red wines, honey-herbal moonshine (taj).
In the country, you can and should drink factory beer and categorically you should not try homemade beer (it has a bitter taste, and there is often something floating in the dishes into which it is poured).
Food tour to Ethiopia
On a gastronomic tour of Ethiopia, you can not only taste unusual and exotic national dishes, but also take part in a ceremony associated with drinking coffee (this ritual is performed in Ethiopian cafes and restaurants, as well as in the homes of local residents).
Holidays in Ethiopia are a great opportunity to go on an ecological tour (African savannahs, national parks, relict forests, lakes, waterfalls), see religious, cultural and historical sights at the premises of Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Gondar, taste the culinary delights of Ethiopian cuisine.
