Food Culture

The Ethiopian national dish is called wat. It is a hot, spicy stew accompanied by injera (a traditional large spongy pancake made of teff flour and water). Teff is unique to the country and is grown in the Ethiopian highlands. There are many varieties of wat, e.g. chicken, beef, lamb, vegetables, lentils, and ground split peas stewed with a hot spice called berbere.

Berbere is made of dried red hot peppers, herbs, spices, dried onions, dried garlic, and salt. Wat is served by placing it on top of the injera, which is served in a mesob (large basket tray). The food is eaten with your fingers by tearing off a piece of injera and dipping it in the wat.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians do not eat meat and dairy products (i.e. eggs, butter, milk, and cheese) on Wednesdays and Fridays except the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost, the Fast of the Prophets, the Fast of Nineveh, Lent, the Fast of the Apostles, and the fast of the Holy Virgin Mary. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church belief, the faithful must abstain from eating meat and dairy products to attain forgiveness of sins committed during the year and undergo a rigorous schedule of prayers and atonement.

Vegetarian meals such as lentils, ground split peas, grains, fruit, and varieties of vegetable stew accompanied by injera and/or bread are only eaten during fasting days. Meat and dairy products are only eaten on feasting days, i.e., Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and all other times. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians. Jews and Muslims do not eat pork as it is forbidden by their religious beliefs.