There Ethiopian cuisine, very similar to the more famous Eritrean cuisine, it can be considered one of the most fascinating in the world, as well as the gastronomic equivalent of a rich cultural heritage. Just think that food is eaten without the help of cutlery, strictly using the right hand, and it is common to share the dishes with relatives and friends. It is no coincidence that in Ethiopia large trays are used instead of dishes on which the large and characteristic traditional piadina, called injera. This spongy bread and very large, with a diameter of about 50 centimeters, it is the base of almost all the Ethiopian dishes, it is used with the hands to collect and eat the abundant food of which it is covered. The injera is made with water and teff flour, a "super cereal" rich in protein and calcium and gluten-free that gives the recipe a pleasantly bitter and slightly sour note.

In general, Ethiopian food is at the same time distinctive, delicious, nutritious and low in fat, and among the best known recipes are the spicy stews, based on vegetables or meat, and dishes based on legumes, cereals and raw meat. Spices, and in particular the berbere, a mix containing up to 16 spices including chilli powder, fenugreek, ginger, garlic, cardamom and cinnamon.

Let's go then to discover five of the most widespread and characteristic dishes, to know and to try.

1) Wat (stew)

This dish, called wat, wet, wot, or tsebhi, can be considered theEthiopian equivalent of Indian curry, or a basic preparation rich in spices to which various types of vegetables and meat can be added, including chicken, beef, goat or lamb. The recipe of these stews requires that the chopped onion is sautéed in a pan or in a saucepan and that the fat, the clarified seasoned butter called niter kibbeh, and the aromas and spices are added later.
Among the most famous meat stews is the doro wot, made with chicken legs or cooked wings and served in a spicy butter, onion, red pepper, cardamom and Berber sauce and served with a boiled egg. There are also vegetarian or even vegan waters such as it shiro wat, a thick dish made with chickpea flour and beans mixed with garlic and onions, or the misir wat based on red lentils.
All stews are accompanied by injera bread.

2) Tibs

Tibs is one of the most popular and loved dishes in Ethiopia, often eaten to celebrate special occasions, and consists of one sliced ​​beef or lamb stir-fried with butter, onion and garlic. The meat, usually fresh and freshly cut, can be served hot with mixed vegetables, but there are also other variations; one of these, particularly appreciated, is the shekla tibs, or strips of meat served directly on top of a terracotta pot fed by hot coals.

3) Kifto

Kifto, or kefto, consists of raw ground beef and sometimes lightly seared in a pan with a little butter (leb leb) seasoned with mitmita, that is a more spicy red-orange mixture of spices than Berber. The meat is served with the inevitable injera and sometimes accompanied with a side dish of chopped spinach and dry ricotta.

4) Tire Siga

Another traditional dish based on meat, considered a culinary refinement often present in the menus of anniversaries, parties and weddings, is the tere siga, or the Ethiopian tartare. This raw red meat is sliced ​​into cubes; the portions are often very abundant and sometimes the cut takes place directly in front of the eyes of the guests, to allow you to choose the preferred part but also as a demonstration of freshness. It is said that the love of Ethiopians for raw meat derives from the time of the war, in the sixteenth century, since consuming it without lighting the fire was a military tactic for not being spotted by enemies.

5) Yetsom beyaynetu

Despite the great love of this people for meat, Ethiopian cuisine also includes many vegetarian and even vegan dishes, so much so that often as an alternative to butter is used a wide variety of vegetable oils including sesame, cardamom and nug (local herbaceous plant). One of the most widespread vegetarian recipes, always served on the injera, is it yetsom beyaynetu, a veritable riot of colors and flavors. This recipe includes different vegetables (chosen according to season and freshness), potatoes, curry, lentils.
Almost every Ethiopian restaurant offers this dish on Wednesdays and Fridays, due to religious fasting and abstention to meat, but some have it fixed in the weekly menu.

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