Ethiopian cuisine is one of the most distinctive in the world, and for many travelers it becomes a highlight of the trip. Everything revolves around injera — a large, spongy, slightly sour flatbread made from teff, a grain native to Ethiopia. Injera serves as both plate and utensil. You tear off a piece and use it to scoop up the stews and dishes piled on top.
The stews, called wot (or wat), come in many varieties. Doro wot is the national dish — a rich, slow-cooked chicken stew with hard-boiled eggs in a deeply spiced berbere sauce. Siga wot is the beef version. Misir wot, made from red lentils, and shiro, a smooth chickpea or bean puree, are staples during the frequent Orthodox fasting days when meat is forbidden. Fasting food is entirely vegan and often the best thing on the menu.
Tibs — sauteed meat with onions and peppers — is the go-to when you want something less saucy. It ranges from mild to fiery. Kitfo is Ethiopian steak tartare: finely minced raw beef mixed with spiced butter and mitmita chili powder. It is served raw (kitfo leb leb is lightly warmed) and is considered a delicacy. If you are adventurous, try it — the quality of the beef in Ethiopia is excellent.
Ethiopia is where coffee originated, and the coffee ceremony is a central social ritual. Green beans are roasted over charcoal, ground by hand, and brewed in a jebena (clay pot). The whole process takes about thirty minutes and the coffee is served in small cups, typically three rounds. Being invited to a coffee ceremony is an honor. Even in casual settings, Ethiopian coffee is superb — rich, complex, and served strong.
Tej is a honey wine unique to Ethiopia, sweet and deceptively strong, served in small round-bottomed glass flasks called berele. It ranges from barely alcoholic to eye-watering. Tella is the local beer, a home-brewed grain drink found everywhere. Commercial Ethiopian beers are good and cheap.
Outside Addis Ababa, restaurant choice narrows. In smaller towns, you will eat at simple local places serving injera with whatever wot is available that day. The food is consistently good and remarkably cheap. Vegetarians will have no trouble eating well, especially during fasting periods (Wednesday and Friday year-round, plus longer fasting seasons).