Berbere is a traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean spice blend known for its bold, complex, and spicy flavor. It’s a key ingredient in many East African dishes, especially in stews like Doro Wat and Misir Wat.

This spice even has its own dish: minchet abish – ground beef pan-fried with spices. We call it fenugreek in English, and it’s a staple of Indian curries.

This is the staple spice blend of Ethiopian cuisine: a brick-red powder that every wot must have to be considered a wot. The preparation of berbere begins by removing the seeds from chili peppers, drying them in the sun, grinding them into a powder, and then adding small portions of garlic, ginger, sacred basil, cloves, fenugreek, cumin, cardamom and more, depending upon each chef’s recipe. The finished product has an aroma dominated by red pepper, and you don’t need a lot of it to add heat to a dish. I even use it in pasta sauces instead of crushed red peppers.

Berbere is a traditional spice blend used in Ethiopian cuisine. It’s known for its complex and bold flavor profile, and Berbere spice typically contains a mix of various spices and herbs, including ground chili peppers, making it quite spicy. It is used to season and flavor a wide range of Ethiopian dishes, including Beef stew (ስጋ ወጥ) chicken stew (ዶሮ ወጥ), Red lentil stew (ምስር ወጥ), Awaze sauce (አዋዜ) and more. Berbere can also act as a meat rub before frying or grilling.

Mitten Shiro chickpea powder, also known simply as Shiro powder, is a traditional Ethiopian food product made from ground chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans). Mitten Shiro chickpea powder typically consists of roasted and ground chickpeas, as well as various spices like chili peppers, garlic, onions, and aromatic spices like fenugreek and cardamom. and herbs. Chickpeas are a good source of plant-based protein and dietary fiber, vitamin A, C and K making dishes made with mitten Shiro chickpea powder not only flavorful but also nutritious.

Bula is a traditional Ethiopian food made from the Enset Plant, often called the “False Banana”. traditionally made into a flour blend and is often used as a thickening agent in soups, stews, and sauces. Additionally, it can be used to make traditional Ethiopian dishes like injera (a type of flatbread) and porridge. In some cases, it is incorporated into baked goods such as bread and pancakes. And also, it is considered nutritious due to its fiber content, which can aid in digestion and contribute to a feeling of fullness. It also contains vitamins like vitamin C and minerals like potassium.