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The Ethiopian dish yedoro firfir is made with injera, chicken, hard-boiled egg, and lots of spices. |
I first ate Ethiopian food when I was 14, during a class trip to a restaurant back home in Baltimore. In my memory, the food was peculiar but delicious.
Injera, the purplish-grey spongebread with which the food was served, had a sour taste but I gobbled it up... and soon felt it expanding in my stomach, swelling with juices and making me feel ready to burst. (Admittedly, restraint is not my forté at the dinner table.)
Last month, having finally reached Ethiopia myself, I dove enthusiastically into an exploration of the local cuisine. Jacqueline followed timidly at first, but by the end of our trip had developed a healthy appreciation for her own favorite dishes (particularly
bozena shiro, goat meat in a rich spicy sauce). What follows are some of my observations on the country's very unique food and drink.
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Almost without exception, we ate every meal in Ethiopia with
injera. The ubiquitous spongy
crêpes