A Lesson in Sharing: A Beginner’s Guide to Ethiopian Dining Etiquette

If you find yourself always going to the same restaurants, the waiters there know your name and you’ve learned the menu by heart, then the verdict is: you are in a dining rut. It is certainly the time for you to experience something new and excitingly different and what better place for that than an Ethiopian restaurant that conveys the warmth and zest of an ancient culture dating back more than 3000 years. Ethiopian dining is an experience. When you have dinner in an Ethiopian home or restaurant, you literally eat the tablecloth!

            For those of you who dare to take the challenge, here are some pointers as to what to expect:

            The facts: Ethiopian food includes tastes and aromas we don’t typically encounter. No utensils are used while dining and food is served on a communal platter. The Coptic Church, the dominant religious sect in Ethiopia since the fourth century, dictates many food customs. There are fast days when meat is prohibited, and pork is never permitted. The hand-washing ceremony before and after meals is a religious ritual. Ethiopian cuisine is spicy and savory but never sweet.  

            The real thing: In an Ethiopian home, one or two of the guests are seated on a low divan and a mesab, a handmade wicker hourglass-shaped table with a domed cover, is set before them. The other guests are then seated around the table on stools about eight inches high. A woman carries a long-spouted copper ewer in her right hand, a copper basin in her left hand and a towel over her left arm. She pours warm water over the fingers of each person’s right hand, holding the basin to catch the excess, and you wipe your hands on the towel that hangs over her arm. When the dome is removed, the mesab is covered with what looks like a gray cloth, however it is not a tablecloth at all. It is the injera, the sourdough pancake-like bread of Ethiopia. When the entire injera is covered with an assortment of stews, you tear off a piece about two or three inches and use it to "roll" the food in. Your host might pop the first little "roll" in your mouth for you. The woman returns with individual long-necked bottles from which you drink tej, an amber-colored honey wine. It is put on a little table close by. Or she may bring a weakly carbonated water, or tella, the home-made beer. Traditional meals are chicken wat and lamb wat—two peppery stews; iab—cottage cheese and yogurt with special herbs giving it a sharp lemon flavor; and kitfo—ground raw beef, which is considered the dessert of the meal. No other dessert is served. Coffee comes in on a tray in tiny Japanese-style cups served black with sugar. Dinner is concluded with hand-washing again and incense is burned.

            The restaurant experience: The food is served on a communal platter on top of the spongy injera and is scooped up with bits of it. The injera is usually 20 inches in diameter, about the size of a large pizza. It is made from fermented teff, a tiny, nutritious cereal grain, and is baked on one side, therefore porous on one side and flat on the other. Typically, the meal consists of various vegetables, meat entrées and side dishes. The custom is to eat with the right hand so the flat side of the injera is placed in the palm of the right hand and the porous side is used to collect food. Another beautiful mealtime tradition is “Goorsha”, the act of feeding a family member or dear friend. This act is a display of affection, respect and honor. To perform “Goorsha”, smile warmly as you scoop up some food with injera and gently place it in your companion’s mouth.

            While it is very unlikely to eat this cuisine gracefully, sharing Ethiopian food with another person would do wonders in tearing down barriers, so if you are adventurous, Ethiopian restaurants are a fantastic idea for a date. They are also great for vegetarians as there is a plethora of unique Ethiopian spices, grains and vegetables such as turnip, red lentils and capsicum. If you’re willing to venture out of your comfort zone and try an Ethiopian restaurant, you’ll find some of the best-tasting and healthiest foods you’ll ever eat.