A Journey to Eat Ethiopian Cuisine, Injera

Hello! This is yuki.

Ethiopia, a country in East Africa.

Do you know whatthe staple food of Ethiopia is?

It is a food called
“Injera”
.

This time, I will tell you about my episodes with Injera when I traveled through Ethiopia!

“Looks like a rag, tastes like...”

Before going to Ethiopia, I heard this story from a Japanese traveler I met in Turkey.

“Do you know about Injera? Among travelers, it’s said to be

‘looks like a rag, tastes like vomit.’ It’s sour, and I couldn’t handle it.”

Who on earth came up with that catchphrase... lol

On the other hand, when looking at the guidebook 'Chikyu no Arukikata', the description of Injera was as follows.

“Fluffy crepe”

In other words, does that mean...
rag + vomit + fluffy + crepe = ?

Basically, I don’t have any foods I dislike, so I started my trip in Ethiopia with a bit of anticipation.

My first Injera

I entered Ethiopia from the neighboring country of Sudan.

Compared to the desert country of Sudan, Ethiopia has many lush, green regions.

Since I had been in the desert for several weeks, I clearly remember feeling relieved when I was enveloped by the suffocating scent of damp soil and vegetation.

Well, my first Injera experience was on the way from the border to the first town.

The minibus I was riding in stopped at a small village along the road for a break.

I just arrived and I'm a little nervous, but
I'm hungry... I should eat something.

Thinking that, I peek into a place that looks like a cafeteria.

Then, a friendly woman

"Beyaynet?"

she asked.

I wonder what that is...?
I don't really know, but I'll order it.

It came out right away.

So this is Injera!
It's, it's huge...!

It's about the size of a naan
from an Indian restaurant, but circular.

No spoons or forks are provided.
You eat with your bare hands.

As for the taste, it is certainly sour.
But it might be better than I thought...
The side dishes are very delicious.

One thing I can say for sure is,
it is a fluffy crepe,
but definitely not vomit, lol.

More than that, the portion is tough.
It's quite thick, and
it's so big that it's folded over.

Towards the end,
my mind went blank, but
I managed to finish it all.

The woman at the shop,
"This foreigner finished it all!"
she looked so happy.

"Good?"

she asked me,

"Great!!"

I replied with thanks.

The reason injera is sour is because it is made by turning the flour of a grain called "teff" into a liquid, fermenting it, and then baking it.
It is highly nutritious and apparently gluten-free, so it might become popular around the world someday.

It is highly nutritious and apparently gluten-free, so it might become popular around the world someday.

Various types of injera

My first impression of injera was good.

At the restaurant I went to that night, I wanted to eat meat, so I decided to order something else.
I wanted to eat meat, so I decided to order something else.

It came with a mutton stew called "Key Wat."
The white thing is cheese.

That is a photo that doesn't look very appetizing, isn't it?

Since it was served like this, I was tearing off pieces of injera and dipping them into the stew, but
tearing off pieces of injera and dipping them into the stew, but

the woman at the restaurant saw that and said,

No, no!
You eat it like this!

She spread out the injera for me (with her bare hands),
and poured it all over.

The cheese softens the spiciness, and it is delicious.

Around the time I had eaten injera for three meals in a row, I became quite hooked on it.
I became quite hooked on it.

The sourness becomes addictive.

The appearance is often questionable.

I tried various kinds, but
the "Beyaynetu," which has several types of vegetables on it,
is my favorite.

In the capital, Addis Ababa,
I went to a hotel buffet,
but what was lined up was, of course, injera.

As expected of a hotel,
it was elegantly rolled up.

Everyone,
you grow up eating injera too, don't you?

There is no escaping injera

I stayed in Ethiopia for two weeks.

Since I spent a long time in rural areas,
there weren't many types of eateries.
No matter where you go, injera comes out.

One morning, when I entered a diner,

"Flakes?"

I was asked.

Looking around, the locals were
eating injera topped with cornflakes
lol

That's a bit too much for me, so
I chose something else.

Also, on another day, at a small diner,
I ordered from a menu I couldn't read,
(since they said it was injera)

what came out was...

Seasoned injera in injera

No matter how much I got hooked on it,
this is a bit much lol

Taking this opportunity,

I started thinking, "It's about time I ate something else."

And then, finally,

I found a diner that had
spaghetti on the menu!

"Spaghetti,
can I have that today?!"

"We have it, just wait!"

Yay!
It's been a while!

And the spaghetti that came out was...

Spaghetti on I n j e r a

...What is this?

It's all chopped up too.

Oh, I guess it's because you eat it with your hands.

I can't escape the injera...

The End

Thank you for reading
until the end.

Well then, have a great day today too!