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Coptic Ethiopians observe about 200 fasting days in the year,
when they abstain from meat or dairy products. For this reason Ethiopian vegan dishes are quite diverse and
nourishing.
Beans such as peas, chick peas and lentils are
used on a daily basis. Chick peas and yellow peas are
slightly roasted, cracked and mixed with herbs like ginger,
garlic, basil and savory, and ground to a fine flour to make
the shiro wat dish. Whole and split lentils are also
cooked with onions, garlic and other seasonings to make
delectable dishes such as misir wat, kik alicha etc.
Fermented fava bean paste called 'siljo', which is used as a
side dish to help digest the many bean dishes that are
consumed is also quite common during the lent. Most
common vegetable meals are prepared from collard greens, kale,
mustard green, cabbage,
potatoes, carrots, beets, cauliflower, and other local
vegetables.
Vegetarian dishes are seasoned mainly with basil, garlic,
ginger and turmeric. The spicy bean dishes are cooked in
onion and berbere-based sauce.
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