Expect The Unexpected In Ethiopian Traditional Foods

Anyone looking for information on “Ethiopian traditional foods” on the Internet may face some problem in identifying which is the real “Ethiopian” tradition. The term is a bit ambiguous. Ethiopia as a country is composed of lots of different ethnic groups, languages, religions and cultures. Though the official language of the state is Amharic, it is not totally used in some parts of the country. What I mean is, you can’t be sure you can communicate with different people groups, even if you speak the official state language. So if you label a certain cultural food as “Ethiopian traditional food” some people groups in the country may not recognize it at all, but they are as Ethiopian, as citizens in the capital are.

So let us first agree upon the very fact that there are lots of traditions and it would take a whole book to list each and every detail about them. In this article I have focused on the commonly agreed upon food types that are very well known to be “Ethiopian” and found in the capital and other big and small towns’ hotels. You may someday travel to Ethiopia and end up in a hotel where traditional foods are served. What would you be asking for? What would your expectation be?

Before going to the lists of Ethiopian traditional foods, I would like to bring to light some serious problem in the cooking process. Before the Educational boom in the country a couple of decades ago, professional cooks or chefs were barely known. But that doesn't mean there weren’t cooks, yes there were. By default all women are supposed to have some skill in cooking traditional foods anyway. So what is the problem in that? You may say. The problem is there is no formal recipe. Let me mention one so common food greatly applauded to be Ethiopian, “Doro Wot”.

I grew up eating Doro wot (Chicken Stew) every major holiday. I have seen it being cooked at home for thousands of times. All the girls at home will have a turn in cooking it as Mum would be instructing them, they are going to be married in the future and have to know how to cook. Mum cooks it as she was instructed by her mum…so on down the line. No recipe. This means that you don’t expect to get the same taste and flavour everywhere. The process is like;

• Chop huge pile of onion and cook in oil till brown (+ an hour).
• Add huge pile of pepper and cook for an hour or more.
• Kill the chicken, dissect in parts and wash thoroughly.
• Add the chicken parts and cook for longer.
• Add spices and keep on cooking
• Add boiled egg and butter and leave it in low heat for hours.

You see, I have seen it being cooked and ate it all my life, I feel I know it all. But if someone asks me “What is the amount of oil I should use to cook for a family of 5?” I don’t have the right answer. No one has for that matter; it depends on who has been your mentor. I still have difficulty in cooking our traditional foods. It is left for your guesses.

Finally let me give you some general insight about the common Ethiopian traditional foods that you will get in most hotels. I am not a cook, neither a food critique. It would be a tedious task for me to list every food item with their recipes. I would rather get you some interesting videos that will show you how the food is cooked, presented and enjoyed. They give you a general understanding. If you are looking for recipe or any further detail, you better find books written on that. Thanks for your time!

If you have to call any food and its presentation "Ethiopian traditional" then it must comprise the following features;

No formal plates, forks, knife and so on

You eat Ethiopian traditional foods mostly by hand. just wash your hand go for the bite. tear down the pan cake-like bread called Injera, deep it in the stew and have a bite.

Coffee usually follows a major dish, no desert

Ethiopia acclaimed for being the birth place of coffee, has a huge population that drinks coffee 1-3 times a day. Some traditional style hotels serve it after a major dish in a traditional way.

Ethiopia has its own alcoholic beverages

There may come time for these beverages to hit the worldwide market in the future, as of now, they are made traditionally and consumed in hotels and bars.