Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country located on the African continent. The culture and history of this

country span across millennia, and its borders have expanded and contracted several times. The

Ethiopian identity dates to 10 B.C. with the founding of the Ethiopian Kingdom. Ethiopia is the

only African country that was not colonized, although Italy did stage a brief occupation (South

Africn History Online, n.d.). This is a source of national pride and identity. These were facts that

I kept in mind as I dined at Café Lalibela, an Ethiopian restaurant in Tempe.

Ethiopian food centers around a type of flatbread called injera. This is traditionally made

with a grain called teff, which is the smallest grain in the world. I was excited to try the

traditional way of eating, using pieces of injera to scoop up a bite of food from a communal

plate. This type of eating signals the collective nature of Ethiopian culture (Evans, 2018). One

thing I love about Ethiopian food is that it is usually served with a variety of different dishes in

small portions. This was great for me because I can rarely decide on just one dish in other

restaurants and want to try a little of everything.

Before going, I did some research and found that doro wat is the national food. Naturally,

I had to try this dish. It is a slightly spicy dish with a depth of savory flavors. When prepared

traditionally, it is a specific and time-consuming process usually reserved for special occasions.

The chicken is cut into 12 pieces representing the 12 apostles, which harks back to Ethiopia's

religious history (Weins, n.d.). Archeology has shown that Christianity was in Ethiopia as early

as 313 CE (Lawler, 2019). It is the only African country that was not introduced to Christianity

through western sources. Today, over 60 percent of Ethiopians are Christian with 43% practicing

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity (Evans, 2018).

 There are many vegan dishes in Ethiopian cuisine such as shiro wat, a thick paste like

soup made with ground chickpeas and spices, eaten with injera. This was one of my favorite

dishes. Another favorite was gomen, collard greens cooked with garlic, onion, and lemon. The

other vegan dish I ordered is called fosolia, a spicy mix of green beans and carrots cooked with

tomatoes and onions. Onions are in almost every dish in Ethiopian cuisine. Not just some sliced

onions added for flavor, but pounds of onions finely chopped and cooked for hours to become

the base of sauces, as seen in the preparation of doro wat. The abundance of vegan foods can be

attributed in some regard to the Orthodox Ethiopian tradition of not eating meat products on

certain days of the week (Mohr, 2021). In this agriculturally based society, onions are an

especially important crop for poor rural farmers (Kloman, 2014).

Coffee is an important staple of Ethiopian social interactions. There is a coffee ceremony

where green coffee beans are roasted over a fire and then ground and brewed. It results in a rich

deep coffee flavor. I had Ethiopian coffee, though it was not prepared in the traditional ceremony

fashion, and I greatly enjoyed it. Coffee is often offered to friends and strangers as a display of

hospitality and generosity (Weins, n.d.). Coffee beans are grown in the Ethiopian highlands and

play an important role in the economy. Some also regard Ethiopia as the birthplace of coffee

(Bhatt, 2015).

Ethiopia is a remarkably diverse country with over 80 ethnic tribes and 87 distinct ethnic

languages (Evans, 2018). While there is an overwhelming sense of national pride, there is also

division among ethnic lines. Politically, the Ethiopian states are formed on an ethnic basis

believing this allows for ethnic autonomy in each state (Evans, 2018). In urban areas there is a

rich diversity as people move from rural areas to find work. A consequence of this socio-political

system is that there are times when the strong ethnicity causes clashes, such as the current
fighting between the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government. This crisis

has led to charges of genocide and ethnic cleansing and is rapidly resulting in famine (Waal,

2021). This current conflict was preceded by the Eritrean conflict which resulted in its

independence from Ethiopia. It is important to note; however, these regional conflicts do not

necessarily overshadow the population's national identity and for the most part Ethiopians adhere

to a culture of unity (Evans, 2018).

The first thing I noted walking into the restaurant was the warm welcome and friendliness

of the staff. Despite a long history that includes tragic conflict and famine, or perhaps because of

it, Ethiopian people are warm, generous, and friendly. Ethiopians are traditionalists who hold

great regard for their elders and hold a high-power distance. There is gender inequality and

distinct gender roles indicating a masculine culture (Mohr, 2021). Ethiopia is a high context

culture where it is polite to initially refuse an offer, like coffee or food, before accepting it.

I came away from this activity and the intervening research with a better understanding

and appreciation for Ethiopian culture and people. Eating at Café Lalibela is an activity I have

wanted to do for a while and this assignment was the perfect motivation. It made the experience

richer because it inspired a desire to learn about the origins of not only the unique dishes but also

the country and the people.

 References

Bhatt, N. (2015, June 12). The History & Legend of Ethiopian Coffee & the Story Behind Misty

Valley. Retrieved from Perfectdailygrind.com: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2015/06/the-

history-legend-of-ethiopian-coffee-the-story-behind-misty-valley/

Evans, N. (2018). Ethiopian Culture. Retrieved from cultureatlas.sbs.com.au:

https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/ethiopian-culture/ethiopian-culture-core-concepts

Kloman, H. (2014, September 1). Ethiopian Food: Mosab Across America. Retrieved from

Ethiopianfood.wordpress.com: https://ethiopianfood.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/in-

ethiopian-cooking-onions-rule/

Lawler, A. (2019, December 10). Church Unearthed in Ethiopia Rewrites the History of

Christianity in Africa. Retrieved from smithsonianmag.com:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/church-unearthed-ethiopia-rewrites-history-

christianity-africa-180973740/

Mohr, A. (2021). Ethiopia. Retrieved from Everyculture.com: https://www.everyculture.com/Cr-

Ga/Ethiopia.html

South Africn History Online. (n.d.). Ethiopia. Retrieved from sahistory.org.za:

https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/ethiopia

Waal, A. d. (2021, May 29). Ethiopia Tigray crisis: Warnings of genocide and famine. Retrieved

from bbc.com: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57226551

Weins, M. (n.d.). Ethiopian Food - The ONE DISH You Have To Eat in ETHIOPIA! Retrieved

from youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Op3lumuj7Q