One of the benefits of being in Ethiopia is that it is very
much situated at a cross-roads; not only in terms of some of the worlds great
religions, but also culturally. Baring influences from North and East Africa as
well as the Middle East. This religious diversity shows its face in the
countries many rich historical sites from Lalibella- which boast a collection
of famous 12th/13th
Century monolithic rock-cut churches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela),
to Axum, which is where many believe the Holy Grail is housed (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/15) and Harar in the East is acclaimed as the Fourth holiest city for Muslims
after Mecca/Medina/Jerusalem.
So what does all of this diversity mean for me on a daily basis, as I am living in Addis not amongst the churches or historical walled cities? Honestly it means a lot of things, but on a simple level it means A LOT of different types of food readily available! Yes I have finally decided to write about food!
Earlier this week, I went out for an awesome Lebanese meal
with some other intern friends. It turns out that another man living in our
compound is actually a Lebanese man who works/sings at the Restaurant, he
invited out German friends to the Restaurant on Monday and so the event was
set. Naturally we then invited our friend Yasmine, who is also a CIDA intern
but grew up in Beirut. Her presence at dinner was a MASSIVE asset! When she
first spoke Arabic to the restaurant manager his face light up and they both
immediately started speaking a million miles a minute, hands enthusiastically
moving at the same pace… if you thought Italians spoke with their hands a lot,
you obviously haven’t encountered an excited Lebanese exchange!
The rest of us sat and watched the exchange without a clue of what was being discussed… something we have all grown used to living/working in a foreign city. We had faith in Yasmine though, as she had given us a mouth-watering description of every item on the menu, with details of how it’s prepartion/presentation differs from region to region. Eventually the excited manager left and Yasmine caught us up! A ton of appetizers, Mezzas, were ordered and soon after came with enough pita bread to sink a ship. We also learned that you are to separate the sides of the bread and use them to eat the different delicious apps; which ranged from Tabouleh, to a bean dish, hummus, babaganoush and many others. I also learned that LEMON is beyond key, and an absence of olives is almost insulting!
The experience overall was fantastic, it was quite possibly the most delicious meal, with the most diverse amount of flavors I have had since being in Addis. I also feel very fortunate to have found a friend in Yasmine as she is very eager to tell stories of Lebanon and its culture and I am eager to learn. My grandfather’s parents emigrated from Northern Lebanon and while I have very fond childhood memories of huge family gatherings with obnoxious amounts of food, I feel that as the family has aged I have very much lost touch with my Lebanese roots! Who would have known I would reconnect with them while in Addis?
Lebanese food is however only one of the many options available here in Addis. Within walking distance from my office/home there is German, French, Armenian, and TONS of Italian food available. I never ever thought I would say it but I may actually be tired of Pasta and Pizza by the time I leave! But lets be honest, the best pizza I have had thus far, is conveniently served in the building directly beside my office!
And yes ETHIOPIAN food. I have been saving the best for last! It is its own unique can of worms. First I think it is necessary to describe the staple food; injera. It looks like a biiiiiig pancake, kind of? But in reality it is a thin, often incredibly yeasty bread. It is served on a big silver platter, where you unroll it and pour different sauces (wot’s) on top. The best part, and the most difficult at first, is that you eat it WITH YOUR HANDS, you pull off pieces of injera and dip it in the sauce/pick up pieces of meat or veggies. Ethiopians, who have been eating injera their entire lives make this practice look effortless. It is definitely not as easy as it looks, especially as it is considered rude if your left hand touches your food!
Another interesting aspect of Ethiopian dinning culture is the many, many fasting days (Both Orthodox and Muslim). At first I thought this meant NO eating. But the reality is that it means no animal products… aka vegan. There are long fasting periods, which last for weeks, but every Wednesday and Friday are also fasting days. This has proven to make life easy when choosing to dine out Ethiopian style, as it is much easier to say you are fasting in a foreign language than explain why you just do not want to eat meat for fear it may upset your stomach -definitely less culturally offensive! And the fasting dish, Fasting Bianatu, is amazing! You get a big tray of Injera with six different Vegan sauces to dip into; two lentil variations, pickled beets, potatoes and spinach amongst other things. All Ethiopians feel the need to warn the foreigners that the food will be “spicy” and yes they like to throw in the odd hot pepper, but as foreigners we have to be careful that they don’t just eliminate the peppers for fear it will be too hot for us!
Now the Coffee, an Ethiopian meal would not be complete without a proper coffee ceremony to cap it all off. When I first heard coffee ceremony, yes I expected elaborate dancing and singing centered around coffee… but I was way off. Nonetheless it is still great, the coffee beans are roasted and ground down on the spot and then warmed in a traditional clay pot. When it is ready to be served a women, often traditionally dressed will bring the clay pot, with incents and popcorn to your table, carefully pouring coffee into each espresso sized cups.
Each region boasts its coffee’s superiority. I have realized that not only is the coffee substantially stronger here BUT also that there are many different types of coffee, much like I only understand the basics of Wine, my palate is unable to note the discrete differences between the different types of coffee. However, I do enjoy my morning Macchiato which sets me back aprx. 50c Canadian. It took me about a week to realize why the Macchiato my co-workers would order for me were substantially better than ones I ordered myself. Much like the spicy issue, I realized that the servers’ assumed I wanted more milk than coffee. I have since learned the Amharic word for “black” Macchiato, ‘Tocar’ and needless to say it has made my Macchiato experience consistently more enjoyable, and often allows the server an opportunity to laugh at my pitiful attempt to pronounce the word!
Much love,
Steph x
As always if you have any comments or questions please feel free to send me an e-mail at: steph.milo.mackinnon@gmail.com
Thanks again to all who have:)
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