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Best Ethiopian Foods
Beyaynetu is a colorful Ethiopian assorted dishes platter that is traditionally arranged on top of injera flatbread. It is essentially a sampler plate that has meat and vegetables (or just vegetables, when it's called yetsom beyaynetu), and the choice of small dishes depends on the restaurant serving the dish.
In most cases, bayenetu includes meat stews, shiro, puréed red lentils in berbere sauce, yellow peas, spiced collard greens, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes in a flavorful sauce. It is recommended to pair the dish with tej – Ethiopian wine made from fermented honey.
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Doro wat (known as tsebhi derho in Eritrea) is a festive type of wat stew made with chicken, usually bought from outdoor markets. The meat gets soaked in water, salt, and lemon juice to eliminate bacteria, and it's then cut into eight to twelve pieces.
Peeled hard-boiled eggs are added to the stew about five minutes before it is done in order to absorb all the savory spices and the delicate red color. With tender meat, spicy eggs, and a rich, flavorful sauce, doro wat is a must-have at every festivity, Christmas and Easter included.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Wat
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Kitfo is a popular Ethiopian dish consisting of raw beef that is freshly ground and combined with Ethiopian butter (niter kibbeh) and spices such as Cayenne pepper and cardamom. The dish is served with a variety of breads, with injera being a staple of every restaurant that serves kitfo.
Although kitfo is usually served on its own, it can also be accompanied by salty cheeses or collard greens.
MOST ICONIC Kitfo
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Injera (or tayta) is a spongy Ethiopian and Eritrean flatbread and an integral part of life for the locals. The bread is made from teff, the tiniest grain in the world, also considered a super grain due to its high nutritious properties. Injera is so popular that the people greet each other by asking "Did you eat injera today?", and if the answer is positive, that assures the other person that all is well.
This flatbread is served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and sharing it when times are rough has kept many Ethiopians and Eritreans alive. Its flavor is tart and quite similar to sourdough bread. The dough is left for three days to ferment and is then shaped into a large, pancake-like disk.
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Fossolia is a traditional dish made with green beans as the primary ingredient. Apart from the green beans, the dish also contains onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, and tomatoes. Fossolia is cooked for a long time until the liquids evaporate and the vegetables become very tender.
Once cooked, the dish is seasoned with ground pepper, then served as a side dish or on a piece of injera flatbread.
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Kik alicha is an Ethiopian dish consisting of a purée made from yellow split peas. The taste is mild and savory, and the dish can be additionally flavored with garlic, turmeric, or ginger. It is recommended to serve kik alicha with rice or injera bread on the side for a wholesome meal.
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Kitcha is an unleavened Ethiopian flatbread made with wheat flour, water, and salt. The dough is traditionally baked in a pan on both sides until it develops a golden-brown color of the exterior. The flatbread can be additionally spiced with chili and cardamom.
It is usually served warm with melted butter, or used in a dish called fit-fit.
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Gored gored is a popular Ethiopian dish consisting of cubes of raw beef. Although the dish is often compared to kitfo, gored gored is not marinated in spices and butter before consumption. It is typically paired with lemon wedges, injera flatbread, and awaze chili sauce.
The fat is usually left on the meat and consumed along with it. Although it can be served on its own or paired with the aforementioned ingredients, gored gored can also be served as a part of a big meal, especially at festive occasions and celebrations.
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Timatim salata is a refreshing Ethiopian salad that's also quite popular in Eritrea. The salad consists of diced tomatoes, onions, and finely chopped hot peppers. It is typically seasoned with berbere spices, oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. The dish is most commonly consumed after spicy Ethiopian wat dishes, but it is also often served on top of injera flatbreads.
If timatim salata is combined with shredded injera, it is then known as timatim firfir.
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Shahan ful is a traditional dish from the countries of the Horn of Africa that is typically served for breakfast. The dish is made by slowly cooking fava beans in water until they soften, then mashing them into a purée. The purée is then combined with onions, lemon juice, berbere spices, chili peppers, and tomatoes.
When served, shahan ful is sometimes garnished with yogurt on top and accompanied by bread rolls on the side. The dish is especially popular during Lent and Ramadan.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Ethiopian Food Products
Gesha 1931 Natural – An Exceptional Coffee from the Birthplace of the Gesha Variety Gesha 1931 Natural is a premium coffee from Gesha Village Coffee Estate, one of the most prestigious plantations in western Ethiopia, located in the region where the original Gesha variety was first discovered.
This special selection is cultivated from plants that most closely resemble the original Gesha genetic material found in the nearby Gori Gesha forest. Grown at altitudes ranging from 1,900 to 2,100 meters and processed using a meticulously controlled natural method, this coffee develops an intense and complex flavor with a rich aromatic structure.
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