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When mentioning Ethiopia, the homeland of coffee trees, people often immediately think of Injera cake -a dish that has made the identity of this east African country. Even in some European countries, this delicious cake is present on the menu of luxury restaurants.
Injera is a traditional Ethiopian bread, round and flat like a tray, often eaten with vegetables or stewed meat. It looks simple but to have a delicious Injera cake, the story is not simple at all.
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| Unique Ethiopian Injera Bread. |
Injera is made from teff, the smallest of all grains and grown in Ethiopia. After harvesting, the teff is ground and mixed with flour, yeast and a few flower petals. The mixture is left to ferment for about 3 days. Then, a mixture called absit (teff flour dissolved in boiling water)will be poured into the proofed dough. This new dough mixture will continue to proof for about another hour.
Making Injera is not too fussy about the ingredients, but the preparation of the tools is the important step. The baking tool only includes a pot but has a special shape. The flat and round body is made of clay and is often called a grill. The curved lid of the pot is made of black soil, ash and mud. When preparing a meal, the Ethiopian woman starts baking the cake. The grill will be heated evenly first.
Usually, Ethiopians will spread cabbage powder evenly on the grill to predict the exact time it will heat evenly. This time will last about 30 minutes. At this time, the cabbage powder will be wiped off to prevent it from sticking to the cake. The teff flour mixture prepared at the beginning will be spread evenly on the surface. The grill will be left open until you see holes in the cake, then cover it. The Injera will be cooked in about 3 minutes.
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| An Injera cake is prepared to serve guests. |
In daily meals, Injera is prepared with vegetables and wat such as eggs, cheese or stewed meat... But when there is a festival or when there are important guests, Injera is prepared more elaborately with the appearance of many layers of small Injera rolled on the surface of the large Injera.
Because this is the homeland of coffee, Injera cake is also served with coffee in every meal. Guests who come to visit the house should not be afraid to see Ethiopians take a piece of the best Injera and put it in their mouth, because according to the custom here, it is to show the hospitality of the Ethiopian people.
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| A common image in the beautiful country of Ethiopia. |
One day when you have the chance to enjoy the mysterious and charming country of Ethiopia, remember to taste Injera cake to experience a unique culture in Africa.
