Ethiopia
Alicha Doro Wat
አልጫ ዶሮ ወጥ
The mild golden cousin of the famous doro wat. Chicken simmered slowly with turmeric-spiced onions, garlic, ginger and a hard-boiled egg — the same comforting structure, without the heat of berbere.
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Ethiopia
Explore 117 foods connected to Ethiopia, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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Ethiopia Essentials
12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Ethiopia.
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Ethiopia
Alicha Shiro Wat
አልጫ ሽሮ ወጥ
A mild version of shiro, made without berbere for a creamy, golden, gently-spiced dish that's a fasting-day staple. Fragrant with turmeric, garlic and ginger instead of chili heat.
Ethiopia
Alicha Siga Wat
አልጫ ሥጋ ወጥ
A mild beef stew built on turmeric, onions and aromatics rather than fiery berbere. The Ethiopian go-to when you want comfort without the burn — golden, gentle and deeply savory.
Ethiopia
Alicha Tibs
አልጫ ጥብስ
Tender meat quickly sautéed with turmeric, onion and herbs in Ethiopia's mild tibs style.
Ethiopia
Ambasha
አምባሻ
A large round leavened celebration bread from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. Traditionally decorated with a carved geometric design on top before baking, often flavored with raisins and cardamom.
Ethiopia
Amicho
አሚጮ
The tender inner core of the enset plant, boiled and eaten as a starchy vegetable — a southern Ethiopian specialty. Mild, slightly sweet, and a comforting alternative to kocho.
Ethiopia
Anebabero
አነባበሮ
A celebratory layered injera dish — sheets of injera stacked on top of one another, each layer smeared with niter kibbeh and berbere. Often baked together and sliced into wedges like a savory layer cake.
Asmara, Eritrea
Areqe
ዐረቄ
A traditional Ethiopian clear distilled liquor, similar to katikala. Commercial versions are often flavored with anise, giving it a taste reminiscent of ouzo. Also spelled araki.
Ethiopia
Asa Kitfo
ዓሣ ክትፎ
A fish version of the famous kitfo: finely chopped raw fish dressed with niter kibbeh, mitmita and cardamom. A favorite fasting-day delicacy that lets Orthodox Ethiopians enjoy 'kitfo' during Lent.
Ethiopia
Asa Shorba
ዓሣ ሾርባ
An Ethiopian-style fish soup, fragrant with garlic, ginger and warm spices. A lighter alternative to richer fish stews and a wonderful fasting-season dish.
Ethiopia
Asa Tibs
ዓሣ ጥብስ
Stir-fried fish cooked in niter kibbeh with onions, jalapeños and warm spices — the fasting-friendly cousin of classic tibs. Quick, savory and a Lent favorite.
Ethiopia
Asa Wat
ዓሣ ወጥ
A spicy Ethiopian fish stew built on a rich kulet base of caramelized onions, berbere and aromatics. Often served during fasting periods when meat is off the table.
Ethiopia
Atmit
አጥሚት
A warm Ethiopian drink-porridge made from barley or oat flour cooked in water and flavored with niter kibbeh and a touch of sugar. Comforting, nourishing, and traditionally served to nursing mothers and the sick.
Ethiopia
Awaze
አዋዜ
A thick fiery dipping sauce made by blending berbere with oil, water and sometimes tej or wine. Served alongside grilled meats, raw beef (tere siga) or anywhere you want extra heat.
Ethiopia
Awaze Tibs
አዋዜ ጥብስ
A fiery version of tibs where beef is pan-fried and finished in a rich awaze sauce — berbere blended with oil, water and sometimes tej or wine. The ultimate dish for spice lovers.
Ethiopia
Azifa
አዚፋ
A cold Ethiopian green-lentil salad tossed with chopped onions, jalapeños, lime juice, mustard and oil. Spiced with ginger and turmeric, it's a beloved fasting dish that's bright, tangy and refreshing.
Eritrea
Berbere
በርበሬ
The soul of Ethiopian cuisine. A deeply complex red spice blend built around dried chili peppers and layered with a dozen or more aromatics — fenugreek, cardamom, korarima, ajwain, cloves, ginger, garlic and more. The heat and depth behind every wot.
Ethiopia
Beso
በሶ
Finely ground roasted barley flour — an ancient Ethiopian travel food. Mix with water for a quick savory paste, with honey for a sweet snack, or with milk and fruit for a modern smoothie.
Ethiopia
Besobela
በሶበላ
Sacred basil — an Ethiopian basil variety with a clove-and-pepper aroma, central to niter kibbeh and many wot. One of the signature herbs that gives Ethiopian food its unmistakable perfume.
Ethiopia
Besso Firfir
በሶ ፍርፍር
A breakfast dish of lightly roasted whole barley grain mixed with warm water, butter and mitmita. A popular food with toddlers and kids, and a fasting-friendly option when butter is omitted.
Eritrea
Beyaynetu
በያይነቱ
The famous Ethiopian combo platter — a large round of injera topped with small mounds of multiple stews and salads. Usually fully vegan (tsom-friendly), it's the single best way to taste Ethiopia in one meal.
Ethiopia
Birz
ብርዝ
A sweet non-alcoholic Ethiopian drink of honey blended into water. Sometimes lightly fermented for a day or two — but stopped well before any alcohol develops. The kid-friendly cousin of tej.
Ethiopia
Bozen Shiro Wat
ቦዘነ ሽሮ ወጥ
A 'fancier' version of shiro made by adding tender pieces of beef to the chickpea-flour stew. The word bozena playfully means 'lazy' — a one-pot wonder that delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort.
Ethiopia
Bula Genfo
ቡላ ገንፎ
A porridge made from bula — fine starch powder extracted from the enset ('false banana') plant. A foundational dish of southern Ethiopian cuisine, richer and smoother than barley genfo, served with spiced butter.
Ethiopia
Bulla
ቡላ
A thick Ethiopian porridge made from enset starch, cooked smooth and served with spiced butter or cheese.
Ethiopia
Bulla Cake
Bulla
Dense, dark, barely sweet round cake of flour, molasses, ginger and nutmeg, sold in packs and eaten with cheese or avocado.
Ethiopia
Buna
ቡና
Ethiopian coffee — and the birthplace of coffee itself. Buna is at the heart of Ethiopian daily life, from the elaborate three-round coffee ceremony to a quick cup at the corner café.
Ethiopia
Buticha
ቡጥጫ
A cold Ethiopian dip of chickpea flour cooked into a thick base, then mashed with chopped onions, jalapeños, lemon juice and warm spices. Served scooped onto injera — a fasting-friendly cousin of hummus.
Ethiopia
Chechebsa
ጨጨብሳ
A beloved Ethiopian breakfast: torn pieces of kita flatbread tossed with niter kibbeh and berbere. Sometimes called kita firfir. Filling, warming and irresistibly addictive — often served with yogurt or honey.
Ethiopia
Chiko
ጭኮ
A pressed Ethiopian travel snack made of roasted barley flour blended with niter kibbeh, sugar and warm spices. Calorie-dense and shelf-stable — a traditional 'journey food' eaten by farmers, soldiers and travelers.
Ethiopia
Coffee Ceremony
የቡና ሥነ ሥርዓት
Ethiopia's most cherished social ritual. Green coffee beans are roasted, ground, and brewed in a jebena over hot coals — then served across three rounds: Abol (first), Tona (second), and Bereka (the 'blessed' third). A full ceremony can last hours.
Ethiopia
Dabo Bread
ዳቦ
The umbrella term for Ethiopian wheat bread — leavened, enriched loaves baked for holidays and special occasions, in contrast to the everyday injera. The base of dishes like defo dabo and yemarina yewotet dabo.
Ethiopia
Dabo Himbasha
ዳቦ ህምባሻ
A sweet celebration bread from the Tigray region, scented with cardamom and studded with raisins. Often baked for New Year (Enkutatash) and weddings, and sliced alongside spiced tea or coffee.
Ethiopia
Dabo Kolo
ዳቦ ቆሎ
Tiny pieces of seasoned bread dough, baked or fried until crispy and tossed with berbere. The ultimate Ethiopian crunchy snack — addictive by the handful and a popular gift to bring travelers and friends abroad.
Ethiopia
Defo Dabo
ድፎ ዳቦ
A large round leavened bread traditionally wrapped in enset leaves (or banana leaves outside Ethiopia) before baking. The leaves give the bread a slight sweetness and beautiful aroma. A holiday and celebration loaf.
Ethiopia
Derek Tibs
ደረቅ ጥብስ
Dry-style tibs: cubes of beef seared fast over high heat with onions, jalapeños and rosemary in niter kibbeh, served sizzling in a clay pot that keeps cooking at the table. Crusty edges, juicy interior.