Valentine Cascarino FOOD
Anyone who has cruised Africa extensively would agree that Ethiopian food comes with an unbelieveable sucker punch. Instead of the humdrum and gruesome starch that is the standard formula in many African restaurants, Ethiopian delicacies, on the contrary, are deliciously spicy. Probably because, like coffee, some of the world’s famous spices originated from Ethiopia. In fact there is a widely held belief among Ethiopians that they’re the only people in the world who can tolerate spicy food. But how does one find an Ethiopian restaurant in Johannesburg in the first place? It is simple. You just have to keep your nose in the air like a reindeer and follow the fragrant smells of red pepper, herbs, coriander, black pepper, onions, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, fennel seed and fresh ginger that waft their way through the web of smells on the gritty city streets. And if one hasn’t got a passionate obssession for food, one wouldn’t venture into the murky mysterious buildings where some of the restaurants are hiding.
Eating starts after the washing of hands. The first course is often a mild dish of curds, which leaves one in abeyance of the spicy feast about to come. A calibre of spicy stew known as wot that comes in assorted varieties is invariably accompanied by injera, Ethiopia’s national food and a staple source of carbohydrates. Injera is a large, pancake-shaped substance (tasting like bread), made from tef, a locally grown grain and water. The tef dough is left to ferment for three to four days and baked in a covered flat earthenware griddle. Dollops of different types of wot are artistically placed on top of the injera and the ritual is to tear off a piece of injera and use it to scoop the accompaniment (wrapping the bread around chunks of meat). It is just like eating the Indian chapatti, or Mexican tortilla, so food adventurers won’t have a problem. The secret of the fiery peppery wot lies in the amount of spices present in the stew. If requested, meat is replaced with fish. It is usually served hot, but a milder and equally delicious dish called alicha, based on chicken and lamb and flavoured with onions and green ginger, could be served for those who can’t handle hot meals. Vegetarian wot are also served and they portray the ingenuity of the talented Ethiopian cook. They’re made from pureed beans, halved beans and lentils. Piles of spinach, beetroot and vegetable stew are heaped discretely in a circle on the injera. There is also biddena, a pancake-type bread made of unfermented dough, which is sugary. You can ask for kwalima: beef sausage. It is mixed with onions, spiced pepper, ginger, cumin, basil, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, coloured with turmeric. It is traditional and a sign of respect and affection for an Ethiopian diner to choose a morsel and place it in the mouth of a companion. Some say that in certain regions of Ethiopiaa, the meal does not begin until the head of the family tears off a piece of injera for each person present, which is done in a strict order of precedence. Desserts are alien to Ethiopian cusine. You would normally wash down a meal with tej, a type of mead or honey wine, or tella, a light local homebrewed beer made from malted barley or some other grain. And if you don’t drink Ethiopian coffee, then you’ve not completed your meal. A typical delicious meal is followed by an elaborate coffee ceremony. Coffee originated from Ethiopia’s Kaffa province and was taken to Yemen in the 14th century where its berries were no longer eaten raw but transformed to powder.
Legend has it that Kaldi, a young Ethiopian shepherd, was surprised that his lazy charges suddenly became invigorated and began to prance about after chewing certain berries. He tried the berries himself and found them stimulating. Coffee was later taken to monasteries and used by monks. Ethiopians dedicate the first round of strong coffee to their father, the second round to their mother and the third to their children. If you’re not too full, you can go all three rounds but take note that wonderful pure fruit juices, some made from avocado, are also available. The menu is written in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, so you have to know what you want. And, of course, you don’t need any cutlery, you use your fingers. A number of Ethiopian restaurants are situated in Medical Centre, Jeppe Steet. In town, parking is not easy to secure, so if you don’t pay a street vendor to keep an eye on your car, you may not enjoy your meal. All restaurants can accommodate more than 15 guests but are usually closed by 4pm. Despite some of these drawbacks, the food is cheap and delicious and if you really want to find out how good finger licking is, give an Ethiopian restaurant a try. Try Yonnas Restaurant, 209 Jeppe Street, 1st Floor Medical Centre, Tel: 082 9760207