At the centre of the horn of Africa lies Ethiopia, one of the oldest countries in the world and the spiritual homeland of Rastafarianism. With such rich cultural history, the culinary traditions of Ethiopia are often overlooked.

Spices and lentils abound in this cuisine, but the humble injeera forms the backbone of any Ethiopian dish. Injeee-what? Say it with me: in-JEE-ra.

Injeera is made from teff flour and has a taste not unlike sourdough bread. This is due to the fermentation of the teff flour in water for at least two days. After the batter is fermented, the injeera is cooked on a large clay slab over high temperatures immediately before serving. The result is a light spongy flatbread, a cross between sourdough and crepes.

Injeera functions, similar to Indian naan or chapatti, as cutlery. The majority of Ethiopian dishes are eaten sans utensils. As Girma Bekele, an Ethiopian expatriate living in Vancouver, demonstrates : a piece of injeera the size of the palm is held in the right hand and used as a scoop to hold the dish.

While injeera is the backbone of any Ethiopian cuisine, the body consists of an almost equal number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

One popular meat dish is doro wat—ground chicken in red pepper paste spiced with cayenne and paprika and served with a hardboiled egg. Doro wat serves as a good introduction to Ethiopian food due to its universal appeal.

For those who are feeling less inhibited, alicha, a turmeric and chili pepper-infused goat dish, is a spicier alternative.

An Ethiopian restaurant is a great option for vegetarians and vegans alike. In fact, most non-meat recipes do not contain any animal by-products. One such dish is alecha, carrots and potatoes fried in canned tomatoes with turmeric. The turmeric complements these two root vegetables nicely and the result is a more flavourful concoction than its northern cousin, the boiled carrots and potatoes.

Vegetables aside, there is no lack of vegetarian protein in Ethiopian eats. There are several dishes mainly composed of lentils, including berberé stew, a dish of lentils in a tomato-based gravy, and dal, a yellow split pea dish with—you guessed it—turmeric.

While Ethiopia is on the opposite side of the world, it is possible to enjoy its flavours in Vancouver. Two places I would personally recommend are Harambe, at 2149 Commercial Drive,  and Axum, at 1279 East Hastings Street. While these restaurants are a trek from campus, they are worth the 40-minute bus ride on the 99 B-line. The prices are good, and there are shared platters for up to four people available for around $10-$14 per person.

Combined with the cultural ambience, these restaurants act as teleportation devices, giving customers a taste of Ethiopia without the $2000 plane ticket. U

Bolongaro is one of several columnists whose writing will appear in this space every issue, with topics ranging from university life to comics to the outdoors.

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