Ethiopian cuisine is diverse and delicious, attracting many from all over the world to try it. Most dishes are meat-based, though you will not fall short of vegetarian platters. As many Ethiopians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, they consume vegetarian and vegan dishes, which are no less mouthwatering than their meat counterparts.
Ethiopian cuisine is packed with flavors as they are cooked in niter kibbeh, a spiced clarified butter, and due to the inclusion of a traditional spice-mix, berbere. These delicacies, including stewed legumes or meat, salads, and other side dishes, are typically served on a platter piled over injera, a warm flatbread. A rich, sumptuous delight, Ethiopian foods will satisfy everyone once they taste them.
Tibs is a tasty sautéed meat dish popular all over Ethiopia. Small chunks of beef are cooked with onion and garlic in butter to create a flavorsome and juicy delight. Commonly served during special occasions and holidays, tibs can be enjoyed plain with injera, a traditional flatbread, or by drizzling a typical hot sauce called awaze.
Besides the classic meat variants, you could also try its fish substitute, asa tibs. It’s a spicy fried fish dish with distinct flavors of an Ethiopian spice mix called berbera and lime juice. Another variant, inguday tibs, is a favorite among vegans having flavorful mushrooms substituting the meal.
The famous kitfo is a raw meat dish, an Ethiopian equivalent to steak tartare. Raw ground beef is heated in a pan with niter kibbeh, a typical spiced clarified butter, after marinating it with mitmita, a traditional seasoning mix. Depending on one’s preference, it can be enjoyed completely raw, lightly rare, or well roasted. It has a rich and flavorful taste with a luxurious texture, melting in the mouth immediately.
One of the must-have dishes in Meskel, a Christian holiday in Ethiopia, kitfo is best served with accompaniments like injera, gomen, or a traditional collard greens side dish, and ayib or dry cottage cheese.
Gomen is an authentic vegan side dish packed with nutrients. Its main ingredient, collard greens, is chopped, boiled, and then stir-fried in niter kibbeh along with onion, garlic, and spices like cardamom and cumin. A well-loved food on fasting days, gomen is light yet filling and tastes delicious when teamed with injera and mitmita.
Also known as tsebhi shiro, shiro wat is a classic slowly-cooked Ethiopian stew having ground dried chickpea or broad bean as its main ingredient. Other ingredients like chopped onion, garlic, and ginger are also added to its preparation. A vegan-friendly dish, shiro wat is thick and smooth with a rich, nutty flavor, often served during fasting with injera and cooked greens.
Shiro can be enjoyed in a more flavorful variant called tegabino shiro, consisting of tomatoes and berbere. Another type, bozeno shiro, would be great for those preferring a non-vegan shiro made with butter and meat.
An authentic, hearty red lentil dish, misir wat originated many years ago and has developed ever since. Its preparation includes simmering the lentils in niter kibbeh with berbere, garlic, and tomato paste until it attains a thick, stew-like consistency. Though a vegetarian dish, misir wat is also a favorite among meat-eaters due to the flavors bursting in the mouth.
Doro wat is an appetizing chicken stew, often referred to as the national dish of Ethiopia. A whole chicken is sliced into twelve parts and cooked in onion, cardamom, butter, and red berbere sauce. Hard-boiled eggs are also added towards the end of its preparation, serving as an excellent accompaniment to the stew. Delicious and spicy, doro wat takes several hours to cook, often reserved for Christmas, weddings, or family gatherings.
Sambusas are yummy pastry delights originating in the Middle East in the 10th century and popularized in India by the Middle Eastern traders around the 13th century. Also a favorite in Ethiopia, these fried pastry pockets are filled with lentils or well-spiced and seasoned beef. The crispy outer layer and flavorful and juicy interior make them irresistible to stop at the first bite. Apart from being served in Christmas or Meskel celebrations, they are also enjoyed all year round as a snack.
An authentic Ethiopian porridge, Genfo is often consumed as breakfast. It is simple and tasty, made with roasted barley flour and water. Genfo has a thick and smooth consistency, served in a dish and hollowed out into a hole in the middle to pour a combination of niter kibbeh and berbere. A dressing of ergo or yogurt is also put around the rim to make it look more attractive and enhance its taste.
A protein-packed and typical fasting food, azifa is a tasty green lentil salad. A combination of lime juice, spices, and hot peppers going into the preparation gives it a tangy and spicy twist, ideal for a light snack when paired with injera, a traditional flatbread. If not having it as a fasting food, azifa is often served cold as a side salad at potlucks. If you wish to lessen the heat, you could choose mild chili peppers instead of the hot ones.
Enkulal Firfir, an Ethiopian breakfast staple, is similar to scrambled eggs. The egg mixture includes tomatoes, chili, bell peppers, and onions cooked in niter kibbeh, a traditional spiced butter. The smooth texture and distinctive yellow appearance make it an attractive dish that tastes even better. A light, savory delight, enkulal firfir is best paired with warm injera and Ethiopian ful on the side.
Yetsom beyaynetu is a classic Ethiopian dish, mainly eaten on fasting days. In Ethiopia, while yetsom means fasting, beyaynetu translates into a bit of everything. It refers to the combination platter of vegetarian wats or stews like shiro wat, and missir wat, gomen or green collards, and a traditional spicy salad. Served on a plate with injera on the side, yetsom beyaynetu is an ideal fasting dish, offering a variety of delicacies to enjoy.
A tasty and healthy spiced fava bean stew, Ethiopian ful has its fame spread all over East Africa and the Middle East. Ingredients like tomatoes, red onions, and garlic are cooked before adding the fava beans and spices like cumin and pepper. Rich and spicy, ful can be served as a breakfast dish with injera to balance out the flavors. For a heartier meal to share with guests on special occasions, it can be served with a combination of onions, tomato, eggs, green chili, yogurt, and sometimes avocado.
An Ethiopian cultural dish, tere siga requires almost no preparation. Like its name, which translates into raw meat, it mainly comprises beef pieces cut off a hanging cow carcass. It is then sliced into thick cubes and enjoyed with injera while dipping them in the flavorful awaze sauce. Sometimes, mitmita and senafich or mustard sauce are also served with the raw meat platter.
The right way to eat tere siga is by using utensils which is not so common in Ethiopian cuisine, making it stand out from the rest of the dishes. This essential act of cutting meat is a traditional ritual known as q’wirt, taken from the Amharic word, q’warata, which means to cut.
Another favorite Ethiopian breakfast dish, chechebsa or kita fir fir, holds close resemblance to the well-known Moroccan delicacy, shakshuka. It consists of preparing a flatbread which is then shredded and mixed with a combination of niter kibbeh and berbere. Served hot in individual bowls, chechebsa can be paired with yogurt and sometimes honey if you want to enjoy the sweet and spicy flavors or a sprinkle of berbere on the top for the additional spicy taste.
Kik Alicha is a simple yet satisfying split pea stew. The split peas are simmered to form a dense stew with the flavors of other ingredients, including ginger, garlic, and onion, being infused into it. The addition of turmeric gives kik alicha an attractive yellow appearance.
Fossolia is a stir-fry side dish having green beans as its main ingredient. It is cooked with carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and ginger. While it is a light savory platter enjoyable in summer, adding berbere spice mix and tomato sauce would transform it into a hearty stew for a winter delight. The combination of the earthy flavors of green beans and the sweetness of carrot makes it taste heavenly.
Kekel or kikil is a sumptuous lamb and potato stew, mostly enjoyed during holidays and special occasions. The slow-cooked preparation is almost the same as kik alicha, though kekel lacks the thick consistency. Instead, it is much watery like a soup, often served hot to cold or flu patients or those with broken bones to cure them.
Fatira is a well-known street food commonly enjoyed as a breakfast dish. It consists of two fried flatbreads, between which a combination of egg and sliced vegetables like tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and bell peppers are poured and cooked until the top, and bottom layers are crispy. A delicious and filling dish, fatira is served by drizzling honey on top to enjoy a sweet and savory treat.
Another way to prepare it is by tearing the flatbread into smaller pieces and cooking them with scrambled eggs in a frying pan. A drizzle of honey is added on top before serving it with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
While Ethiopian cuisine mainly comprises meat, egg, or completely vegetarian delicacies, you’ll also find a few authentic fish dishes like asa wat or fish stew. It has a combination of flavors to satisfy one’s taste buds. The inclusion of onions and tomatoes makes it slightly sweet and tangy, while ginger and garlic contribute to its savory flavors. Also, the addition of berbere spice mix and jalapeno peppers are mainly responsible for the high levels of spiciness of the dish.
Buticha is an Ethiopian take on hummus, a healthy and tasty chickpea dip that requires no cooking. Its preparation includes mixing the chickpeas with onions, pepper, oil, lemon juice, mustard, and traditional spices. The smooth textures and savory taste make buticha ideal for a quick snack when paired with injera.
A typical cabbage dish, atakilt wat is simple yet delicious. Apart from the star ingredient, cabbage, other vegetables like potatoes and carrots also go into its preparation. Stir-fried with berbere seasoning in niter kibbeh, atakilt wat is delectable and flavorful with various spices satisfying the taste bud..
A refreshing Ethiopian tomato salad, timatim is simple and easy to prepare. Made with a combination of tomatoes, onion, and peppers, it is a sought-after dish after eating a traditional spicy platter as the acids of the tomatoes help to counter the excess heat. Sometimes, torn pieces of injera are also added to the preparation and called a firfir.
Kinche is a delectable porridge dish made with cracked wheat. Similar to an oatmeal delight. It is boiled in milk, making it a perfect Ethiopian dish to start your day with. But the preparation does not end just here as it is then mixed in niter kibbeh and fried onions. Kinche, with smooth, buttery textures and savory taste, is filling, especially when paired with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.
Minchet abish wot, an appetizing red-colored beef stew is not for the faint-hearted. When stewed with onion, garlic, ginger, and berbere, the tender minced beef pieces soak in the rich flavors. Often topped with a peeled, hard-boiled egg, minchet abish is lip-smacking if you can handle the spice.
Beg Wot is a typical lamb dish consisting of a combination of onions, tomatoes, lamb meat, and spices. The lamb is cut into small bite sizes and cooked in spiced onion and tomato sauce. It is further stewed until it attains a thick and glossy consistency. The rich and flavorful stew makes a delightful and hearty meal when accompanied by injera and some gomen on the side.
Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or a meat lover, these tasty Ethiopian dishes will leave you deeply satisfied. After you enjoy your flavorsome meal, be sure to satisfy your sweet tooth with one of the Ethiopian desserts.
TOP PICKS
Best Ethiopian Vegetarian Dish: Yetsom Beyaynetu, Shiro Wat, Gomen
Best Ethiopian Christmas Foods: Doro Wat, Sambusas, Kitfo
Best Ethiopian Fasting Foods: Shiro Wat, Meser Wot, Gomen
Best Ethiopian Meat Dishes: Tibs, Minchet Abish, Tere Siga
Best Ethiopian Breakfast Dishes: Enkulal Firfir, Chechebsa, Ful
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