570
Ethiopian food is unique and flavorful, making it one of the most interesting cuisines in the world.
If you’re visiting Ethiopia, or just looking for new and exciting ways to spice up your dinner rotation, here are 30 amazing Ethiopian foods to try! From injera bread to spicy lentil dishes, there’s something for everyone.
Before we dig in! make sure to check out Ethiopia’s best food-tasting tour.
Not heading to Ethiopia anytime soon? Then pick up our favorite Ethiopian cookbook and indulge in the flavors of Ethiopia in the comfort of your own home.
Food-Related Content:
Injera is a spongy, sourdough-risen flatbread that is traditionally made out of teff flour, water, and salt. It is a national dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Ethiopians typically eat Injera with their stews and dishes. In Ethiopian cuisine, injera serves as both utensil and plate.
Tibs are Ethiopian stir-fried dishes, usually made with beef, lamb, or chicken. Tibs can be made with vegetables, but meat is the most important ingredient. The dish is often cooked in a berbere sauce, which is an Ethiopian spice blend made with chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and other spices.
Doro wat is an Ethiopian chicken stew that is usually served with hard-boiled eggs. The dish is made with berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend that often includes chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and fenugreek.
Other ingredients may include onion, cardamom, cloves, cumin, and tomato paste.
Doro wat is typically served with injera, an Ethiopian sourdough flatbread.
Ethiopian food is known for being spicy, and Doro wat is no exception. If you can’t handle the heat, be sure to ask for your Doro wat without extra chili peppers.
Ethiopian Shiro Wat is a stew made with chickpeas, onions, and Ethiopian spices. It is often served with injera, an Ethiopian flatbread. Shiro Wat is a popular Ethiopian food and is typically eaten for breakfast or lunch
A very popular Ethiopian dish, Asa Wot is a stew made with fish (usually tilapia fish) that has been simmered in a berbere-based sauce.
Asa Wot is often served with injera, Ethiopian flatbread.
Ethiopian Misir Wat is a delicious vegan Ethiopian lentil stew. It’s simple to make with just a few ingredients and is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and oil-free. Misir Wat is typically served with Ethiopian flatbread or injera.
Kik Alicha is an Ethiopian split pea stew that is typically served with injera, Ethiopian flatbread. The stew is made with yellow split peas, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Kik Alicha is a vegan dish that is hearty and filling.
Berbere is a spice blend used extensively in Ethiopian cuisine. It is composed of a variety of chili peppers, paprika, garlic, ginger, Ethiopian cardamom, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. The combination of these spices creates a complex and fiery flavor that is essential to Ethiopian dishes.
Gomen is an Ethiopian dish made of collard greens. It is typically cooked with onions, garlic, and ginger, and seasoned with Ethiopian spices such as berbere and Ethiopian cardamom.
Gomen is often served as a side dish, but can also be enjoyed as a main course.
Atakilt wat is a popular Ethiopian dish made of cabbage and potatoes. The cabbage is typically cooked with onions, garlic, and ginger, and the potatoes are usually boiled or fried. This dish is often served with Ethiopian bread or injera.
Chechebsa is an Ethiopian breakfast dish that is made with flatbread that is soaked in spiced butter (Niter Kibbeh) and Berbere spice and then fried. It is often served with yogurt or honey. Chechebsa is sometimes called Kita Fir Fir in Ethiopia.
If you’re looking for a hearty Ethiopian breakfast, look no further than Kinche. This Ethiopian oatmeal is made with cracked wheat, spices, and often Ethiopian berbere spice. It’s filling and satisfying, and the perfect way to start your day.
Enkulal Ferfer! This dish is made with scrambled eggs, berbere (an Ethiopian spice blend), and niter kibbeh (clarified butter). It’s simple to make and can be served with Ethiopian bread or injera.
This Ethiopian salad is a great option if you’re looking for something light and healthy. Azifa is made with green or brown lentils, diced onions, and Ethiopian spices. It’s usually served cold or at room temperature, making it perfect for a hot day.
Inguday Tibs is a delicious Ethiopian sautéed dish made with mushrooms, onions, and Ethiopian spices. It’s perfect as a main dish or side. Inguday Tibs is typically served with Ethiopian flatbread or injera.
This Ethiopian stew is made with a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and beans. It’s usually seasoned with turmeric, ginger, and garlic, and sometimes includes a hot chili pepper.
Timatim salad is a popular Ethiopian dish that is made with tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. It is usually served as a side dish or an appetizer.
Dabo kolo is Ethiopian crackers that are spiced with cumin and chili powder. They are often eaten as a snack or with Ethiopian coffee.
Awaze Tibs is an Ethiopian dish that is very popular. It is made with beef, onions, and peppers and is usually served with injera bread.
Kitfo is an Ethiopian dish made from minced meat that is typically served rare. The meat is usually beef, but can also be lamb or goat.
Kitfo is often spiced with Ethiopian spices such as mitmita, cardamom, cloves, and pepper. It is usually served with Ethiopian bread or injera.
If you’ve been to an Ethiopian restaurant in the US, you might be familiar with Ethiopian clarified butter, or niter kibbeh. This dish is a central ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine and is used to add flavor and richness to many different dishes.
Niter kibbeh is made by slowly cooking butter with onions, garlic, and a variety of spices. The result is a fragrant, flavorful clarified butter that can be used in many different ways.
Tere Siga means raw meat in Ethiopia. It is one of the most popular Ethiopian dishes and is often served as a main course.
The meat is usually beef, but it can also be made with lamb or goat. The meat is cut into tiny cubes and served with a mixture of Ethiopian spices, lemon juice, and salt with Injera bread.
Beyainatu translates into “a little bit of everything” in Ethiopia. It is a very popular dish that is often served at Ethiopian restaurants.
The dish is a mixture of different Ethiopian foods served on Injera bread. You usually get various vegetables, potatoes, curries, lentil stews, and much more.
Beyainatu is a great dish to try if you want to taste a little bit of everything that Ethiopian cuisine has to offer.
Himbasha is an Ethiopian food that is traditionally served during religious holidays and special celebrations.
The mildly sweet bread is made with wheat flour, water, and salt and flavored with cardamom, raisin, and black sesame seeds.
It is typically formed into a large, round loaf and can be enjoyed with a cup of Ethiopian tea or coffee.
Ethiopian offers some unique dishes. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Ethiopia, be sure to try some Tihlo.
Tihlo is a traditional dish from the Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia. It consists of barley dough balls that are dipped in a sauce made of onions, tomato paste, and Berbere.
To grab the balls and dip them into the sauce, Ethiopians use a special tool that’s made of carved wood and has two poky ends.
High carb foods always make the best breakfast, filling and comforting and the Ethiopian dish Dabo FirFir is no exception.
Dabo Fir Fir is made by cutting flatbread into small pieces and tossing them into Berbere and butter sauce.
The dish is then accompanied by yogurt
A breakfast dish and popular street food in Ethiopia, Fatira consists of a thin pastry top and bottom with a combination of scrambled eggs and honey wedged in the middle.
Often paired with freshly brewed Ethiopian coffee, there isn’t a better way to start a day of exploring Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, all food can be had with famous Injira even Pasta. Pasta Beu Injera means Pasta with Injera and it’s simply Pasta lumped in the center of an Injera bread.
Ethiopians do not eat pasta with a fork; instead, they scoop it up with their fingers, incorporating Injera bits.
A staple Ethiopian food, Fuul is a fava bean dish that is often served for breakfast.
The beans are first soaked overnight and then cooked with spices like garlic, ginger, and cumin.
Ethiopian fuul is usually served with a hard-boiled egg and a piece of Ethiopian flatbread.
Dulet is not for heart-fainted eaters. It’s a serious Ethiopian dish made of minced tripe along with liver and lean beef, onions, chili peppers, and Ethiopian spices.
Dulet can be served in different cooking degrees from literally raw to well-cooked you choose how adventurous you want to go with your Dulet.
If you are a coffee lover, then Ethiopian coffee is a must-try. It’s a truly savory cup.
Ethiopian coffee beans are some of the best in the world, and the coffee brewed from these beans is simply outstanding.
The coffee made in Ethiopia is usually strong and bitter, but it can also be sweet and rich depending on which region in the country you tried it.
It’s often served with spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, which add flavor and depth to the coffee.
Spris is an Ethiopian layered pureed fruit smoothie drink that’s absolutely delicious. Made with fresh papaya, mango, and avocado, Spris has no added water, sugar and or ice, just pureed fruit goodness.
The national dish of Ethiopia is Doro Wat, a thick stew made with chicken, berbere (an Ethiopian spice blend), and niter kibbeh ( Ethiopian spiced clarified butter).
The key ingredients in most Ethiopian dishes are berbere (a spice blend), niter kibbeh (clarified butter), and Ethiopia’s staple grain, teff.
In addition to these ingredients, Ethiopian food often includes Injera (a sourdough flatbread), lentils, Ethiopian honey, and various vegetables.
Ethiopian food is a delicious and unique experience. If you haven’t tried it before, be sure to check out some of the dishes we’ve listed here.
And if you have had the pleasure of trying Ethiopian cuisine before, let us know which dish is your favorite in the comments below!
