Must Try Ethiopian Food You (mostly) only get in Ethiopia

Typically when one eats Ethiopian food outside Ethiopia, the menu is limited to varying "Veggie combos" and "Meat combos". One could never know the rich and varied Ethiopian cuisine until you explore Ethiopia. From North to South and East to West, different Ethiopian peoples, eat different foods. Here we show you 6 of our favorite dishes that are popular in Addis Ababa and commonly eaten by Northern Ethiopians.

Special Foul This dish is popular all over the Middle East as well as in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. Foul medames(Fava) beans are mashed with spices as well as tomato then serves with scrambled eggs, green chilies, raw red onions, fresh tomatoes and yogurt. This dish is commonly eaten for breakfast with fresh bread to dip into the delicious accompaniments. This is a great breakfast food to have when you might miss lunch, as the high fiber will keep you satiated until dinner. If you are vegan make sure to request "Foul" only or "Fasting Foul" as "Special" suggests all the extras like egg and yogurt.

Gomen Be Siga (Greens with meat) This traditional dish consists of delicious fresh Ethiopian Collard greens and small pieces of beef(can substitute for lamb). The flavoring of the greens cooked with a fattier cut of beef is good, clean and not too spicy. We love it for its simplicity yet tastiness.

Kikil is one of our very favorites Ethiopian dishes and consists of lamb or goat meat stewed in a tasty turmeric and onion sauce. This dish is always served with a good amount of meaty bones, bone broth as a soup, and pieces of injera soaking up the soup flavorings on top of a sole injera.  The photo also includes a helping of Gomen Be Siga which is a combination we enjoy.

 

Quanta Firfir is dried beef, or goat meat with a texture similar to beef jerky. This meat is then cooked in a wot(sauce) and tossed with strips of injera bread. The dried meat never fully rehydrates and is quite flavorful. 

Shekla Tibs is great on a night out and sharing with friends. We love to sit down with an order of flaming Shekla Tibs in a clay pot and a nice cold local beer or sparkling water. It is simplicity at its best, flame roasted meat with some red onions, green chilies accompanied by a horseradish and red chili paste dipping sauce. You can wrap the small succulent pieces of meat in injera or just eat them as finger food by themselves. This is one of the few keto friendly dishes in Ethiopia.

Tegabino Shiro is a well known Ethiopian vegan dish. This dish might be an acquired taste, not for the taste itself but because of the texture. Our favorite Tegabino shiro is a thick and dry chickpea paste. In its original form it is a solid mass that would be eaten with injera bread. During a fasting season on the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar shiro is a very popular food option. The Tegabino shiro in the photo on the left is adorned with fresh tomato and lettuce but obviously thicker than the shiro on the right.

Are you a foodie? Would you be interested in experiencing Travel Africa Tours' cultural food tour Ethiopia? Please let us know which featured dishes appeal most to you.