Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HABITS & CUSTOMS
Eating from individual plates strikes most Ethiopians as hilarious, as well as rather bizarre
and wasteful. In Ethiopia, food is always shared from a single plate without the use of cut-
lery.
In many cases, with a simple
Enebla!
(Please
join us!), people invite those around them (even
strangers) to join them at their restaurant table.
For those invited, it's polite to accept a morsel
of the food to show appreciation.
In households and many restaurants, a jug of
water and basin are brought out to wash the
Contrary to the myth started by 18th-century Scot-
tish explorer James Bruce, Ethiopians don't carve
meat from living animals. Whether it occurred in
ancient times, remains uncertain.
guests' outstretched hands before the meal.
When eating with locals, try not to guzzle.
Greed is considered rather uncivilised. The tasti-
est morsels will often be laid in front of you; it's
polite to accept them or, equally, to divide them
among your fellow diners. The meat dishes such
as
doro wat
are usually the last thing locals eat
off the
injera,
so don't hone in on it immediately!
If you already know your
kekel
from your
kai wat
and want to learn more Amharic, pick up Lonely
Planet's
Amharic Phrasebook
.
