Ethiopian cuisine is like its people: diverse, colorful, flavorful, and complex. It is a fusion of delicious and exotic meals from the different regions and ethnic groups, reflecting the country's long history of independence and rich diversity.
It is nourishing and delicious, and gives one a very distinct and unforgettable dining experience. Traditionally, Ethiopian food is served on a big platter or basket with the injera (a flat crepe-like sour dough bread) as a base and the various sauces and vegetable dishes scooped out on it in a very colorful way. Additional injera would be served on the side. People would normally eat communally from the same plate. You would tear a piece of injera, and using your fingers, scoop the sauce then wrap it and enjoy.
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The most important aspect of Ethiopian cooking is preparing the basic ingredients that bring any vegetarian or meat dish alive with bursting flavor, aroma and delectable taste. There are two basic types of stews; 'wat' and 'alicha', representing two distinct levels of spiciness. Other dishes include sautéed, baked, boiled, fermented, bean paste, or bean salad, roasted grains and beans (mainly used as snacks) to mention just a few.
In Ethiopia, traditional cooking utensils (from coffee pots to huge brassier pots), are made of clay. Such utensils enhance the flavor, as well as make it more natural and healthy. Bread is traditionally baked in a big clay baking pan where the dough is covered in layers of banana leaves, covered with a huge iron skillet, sealed around with mud, and baked using wood fire in the bottom and top cover.
Yedoro Wat - The Measuring Stick of a Chef's Skill
In Ethiopia, the cooking skill of a woman is measured by her 'Doro Wat' (chicken stew). Such skill, especially the cutting up of the chicken, and cleaning the parts, is acquired at a very young age through the guidance of the mother or other family members.
Traditionally, making the chicken into 'yedoro wat' is time consuming and requires great skill. The whole chicken is cut into twelve specific parts, even the skin has to be taken off without breaking apart. These parts are then scrubbed with a knife to remove the jelly like stuff that covers the meat. It is then soaked with lime or lemon juice and salt for several minutes. The lady then washes the chicken several times by changing the water until the water is clear and the chicken smells clean. While the chicken is soaking and being washed, finely chopped onion (normally it would be shallots), is slowly cooked in a clay pot over an open wooden fire or charcoal. The onion will be cooked until it is browned adding a little bit of hot water every now then. Berbere (Ethiopian chili blend), and nitir kibe (clarified, spiced butter) would be added along with spices and the chicken. It is then left to simmer at a low flame until it is cooked to perfection. A dozen or so hard boiled eggs would be shelled incised and added to the wat at the end of the cooking to absorb the sauce.
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