Ethiopian cuisine has a huge significant and cultural history, perhaps greater than other world foods.  The traditions of fasting and eating, communal shopping, and dining together with broken bread makes the food in Ethiopia as socially relevant as it is nutritional.  Here are some basics about Ethiopian cuisine and food traditions:

--Injera.  Injera is a flat bread made from Teff, a grain only found in Ethiopia. It is important in Ethiopian food tradition to break Injera with friends and family.  Injera usually comes on top of a large plate and everyone eating is served the various parts of the meal on top of the bread.  Injera and other foods are eaten with one’s fingers.

A recipe for Injera:

Ingredients: 1 cup buckwheat pancake mix

                    1 cup biscuit mix

                    1 egg

                    1 Tbs. Oil

                    2 cups water

1.)    Bring a 10-inch skillet to medium heat.

2.)    Spread ½ tsp. oil over the pan.

3.)    Fill a measuring cup with batter.

4.)    Pour the mixture onto the pan. When the mixture bubbles, remove it from heat.

5.)    Put the pan into an oven at 325 degrees for one minute until the top is dry but not brown.

6.)    Continue until you have five pancakes that overlap each other on a plate. 

--Wot.  A dipping sauce made with Berbere, an Ethiopian spice with red chili peppers and garlic and then sun-dried that makes. The sauce can range from mild to very spicy, and can include a mixture of meats, fish and vegetables. 

--Ethiopian Christmas and Easter.  Both of these holidays are preceded by long periods of fasting.  Before Christmas, Ethiopians fast for 40 days and before Easter, they fast for 56 days.  During a fast, people eat only eat after 3pm.  Before 3pm, Ethiopians don’t eat anything or drink water.  Some Ethiopians are even more serious about fasting: the Ethiopian Orthodox Church says that followers can have no meat, fat, eggs or milk at any point during a fast. This sect of Ethiopians fasts every Wednesday and Friday as well, meaning they fast for a total of 250 days out of the year.

--Id Al Fatr.  A large population of Ethiopians are Muslim, meaning they celebrate the end of Ramadan with Id Al Fatr, the largest feast of the year.  During this night, Ethiopians make animal sacrifices and give the meat to the poor.

--Open-air market of Addis.  The largest in Africa, this market sells clothing, house wares and foods, among other goods. Women sell spices for the Wat, Teff for the Injera, bananas, grapes, figs and custard apples. They also sell beef, lam and goat, as well as rancid butter in wax paper for cooking and cheese cooled in banana leaves.

--Mesab.  This hourglass-shaped table is made from wicker, topped with a domed cover.  Meals are served on the table and guests sit on stools covered with various types of fur.  

--Hand washing.  Ethiopians wash their hands before and after the meal in a hand washing ceremony.  Women bring basins, pitchers and towels for guests to wash their fingers for eating.  At the end of the meal, incense is burned. 

--Coffee. Coffee is served black with sugar in tiny Japanese demitasse cups immediately following dinner.  Dabo Kolo, tiny fried cookies, are served with the coffee.