Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DRINKS
Ethiopia has a well-founded claim to be the original home of coffee, and coffee continues
to be ubiquitous across the country. As a result of Italian influence,
macchiato
(espresso
with a dash of milk), cappuccino and a kind of cafe latte known as a
buna bewetet
(coffee
with milk) are also available in many of the towns. Sometimes the herb rue (known locally
as
t'ena adam,
or health of Adam) is served with coffee, as is butter. In the western high-
lands, a layered drink of coffee and tea is also popular. If you want milk with coffee, ask
for
betinnish wetet
(with a little milk).
In lowland Muslim areas,
shai
(tea) is preferred to coffee, and is offered black, some-
times spiced with cloves or ginger.
Most cafes also dabble in fresh juice, though it's usually dosed with sugar. If you don't
want sugar in your juice or in your tea or coffee, make it clear when you order. Ask for the
drink
yale sukkar
(without sugar). Bottled water is always available, as is the local favour-
ite Ambo, a natural sparkling mineral water from western Ethiopia.
One drink not to be missed is
tej,
a delicious
- and sometimes pretty powerful - local 'wine'
or mead made from honey, and fermented using
a local shrub known as
gesho
.
Tej
used to be re-
served only for Ethiopian kings and their courts
and comes in many varieties. It's served in little
flasks known as
birille
.
There are several breweries in Ethiopia that pump out decent beers, including St George,
Harar, Bati, Meta, Bedele, Dashen and Castel. Everyone has a different favourite, so ex-
plore at will.
Though no cause for huge celebration, local wine isn't at all bad, particularly the red
Gouder. Of the whites, the dry Awash Crystal is about the best bet. Unless you're an afi-
cionado of sweet red, avoid Axumite. Outside Addis Ababa, wine is usually only served in
the restaurants of midrange hotels.
It doesn't seem to matter how remote you are, all the standard international soft drinks
are available everywhere.
In the Somali regions in the east, camel milk is a speciality. Locals claim that it gives
most foreigners the shits, but we can happily report that our stomaches are stronger than
that!
If looking for quality
tej,
ask a local. They'll know
who makes it with pure honey and who cheats by
adding sugar.
