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Fish in Ethiopian Food
Fish has always been consumed in the lake regions of Ethiopia but has now become a bigger part of the cuisine as more liberal Orthodox Christians eat fish during the fasting (vegan) days. With just three days left of the Easter fast, fish restaurants are nearing the...
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Best Vegan Ethiopian Food: Shiro
We're two weeks into the Orthodox Christian Fasting season (when people eat vegan) and these days, it's all about the shiro. Our lovely guide, Genet, tells our guests all about shiro (the lighter orange stew) While Ethiopian cuisine is highly acclaimed...
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Ethiopian Meat Dishes
Tere Siga (Photo by Aziz Ahmed) As Ethiopia's fasting season (when Orthodox Christians eat vegan) begins, we take a look back at our favorite meat dishes and count down the days until they are readily available again. Sigh... TERE SIGA is the most...
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Burgers in Addis Ababa
Been on the road for too long? Longing for a taste of America? Want to get away from the dust and crowds of the streets of Addis Ababa? Then, Sishu is your spot. It’s an unassuming warehouse with just a small sign reading ‘Sishu’, but for expats and wealthier...
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Restaurants in Addis Ababa: Vegan Food
Misir (dark red), Shiro (orange) and aliche (yellow) atop injera. Yesterday we were kidnapped and held hostage by a group of family friends in their late sixties. This lovely group of ladies wanted to show us one of the most popular fasting restaurants...
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Ethiopian Spices: A Photoblog
When you think Ethiopian food, you think spice. Berbere is Ethiopia’s main spice and the staple ingredient in every wot (stew) made here. In an earlier blog, we taught you how berbere spice is made. However, we did not share one of our favorite parts of the whole...
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Juice in Ethiopia
Juice Window We’re sitting in the back of another nondescript corrugated tin fruit and veggie stand enjoying a fantastic juice here in Addis Ababa. Today’s juice was four layers: avocado, papaya, mango and pineapple. When ordering it, I just asked for a...
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Coffee Ceremony
In celebration of a panel of coffee experts voting Ethiopia as the best coffee producing country in the world, we decided it was time to write up a blog on the sacrosanct, majestic Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Coffee ceremonies are a wonderful, culturally rich tradition...
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Harar, Ethiopia pt. 2
Flatbread & Honey Breakfast Breakfast was included in the price of our room and we were delighted when it arrived that morning. We were served flat bread with local honey and spiced tea on the floor of our room. We added some sliced banana to the...
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Harar, Ethiopia pt. 1
Camel Goulash and Ground Camel Meat We traveled to the ancient walled city of Harar recently, and of course, tasting new and exotic foods was our main focus. We had heard that camel was the specialty dish to try while there – it’s not easy to come across...
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Shola Market: A Photoblog
Shola is our favorite market in Addis. It's a low-key version of Mercato that you can visit without being pick-pocketed or harassed nearly as much. This is the market that locals frequent and we love it for its fair prices, friendly shop owners and wide range of...
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Berbere Spice
In the berbere pepper section of Shola market, the air is on fire. Every breath burns. Everyone is coughing and sneezing. By the end of our time there, my nose is running and my throat stings. But it’s worth it. Berbere Peppers in Shola Market Berbere...
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Best Juice in Ethiopia? We found it.
Magnum and Passion Fruit Juice is a big part of the cuisine here. Most shops that sell fruits and vegetables roadside are also making fresh juice in the back. In more upper class neighborhoods there are shops that specialize only in juice. The most common...
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Kitfo in Addis Ababa
The most adventurous and unique dish in Ethiopia’s arsenal of delicious foods is kitfo. This is Ethiopia’s signature raw meat dish and for any foreigner wanting to eat like a local, it’s a must. There are two key ingredients in determining the quality of...
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Traditional Coffee in Ethiopia
Jebena over coals Littered around town, in tiny corrugated tin huts, are Ethiopia’s majestic buna bets. These small traditional coffee houses serve you espresso grade coffee, brewed in an Ethiopian jebena (traditional clay coffee pot). Coals heat the...
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Guest Blogger, Dave Cole, Explores Addis!
Beyaynetu Following the success of their first outlet in Haya Hulet, the owners of Tsige recently opened Tsige #2 in Bole-Medhanialem. A few days after the restaurant served its first customers, lines were forming outside the gate and diners made new...
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Beer in Ethiopia
In terms of beer, Ethiopia is rich. We have a number of locally made beers, draft beer is widely available, and now, the beer wars are upon us, involving major international players, with both Heineken and Diageo entering the market. The economics of the...
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Nice to Meat You, Nazret.
Ask any Ethiopian where the best meat comes from and you’ll get one answer: Nazret. Ask them why and you’ll get a million different answers. Shekla Tibs One rumor is that the cows are fed molasses. Another is that the fields around Nazret (known as Adama...
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Addis Ababa’s Largest Produce Market
Even before the sun comes up, business is going down in Piazza. When the rest of Addis is sleeping and hyenas roam empty streets, the fruit and vegetable market in Piazza is buzzing with activity. Unknown to most people, we got a glimpse into this world...
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A word about Addis Ababa’s ‘must see’ Cultural Restaurants
A deadly tourist trap. We know they’re rated really highly on Tripadvisor and in every guidebook, and we are definitely of the opinion that you should try anything once – but you can’t say that you’ve experienced real food or culture after spending a...
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Restaurants in Addis Ababa: Kategna
Happen to catch the CNN Parts Unknown Ethiopia episode with Anthony Bourdain? Addis Eats was their on the ground guide to restaurants and markets in Addis and we sent Bourdain and chef Marcus Samuelsson to Kategna for their opening scene of the show....
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