A Taste of Ethiopia

After talking to Melody and Katie, I was convinced that I had to try Ethiopian cuisine. So today I tried Queen of Sheba in Midtown West.

It was my first time trying this type of food, so I really have no basis of comparison. For starters, everything was served with this flat bread made with teff, called injera. After doing some research, it turns out that teff is a type of small grain commonly found in Ethiopia and is very high in many minerals, such as calcium, as well as protein. The injera is sort of like a spongy crepe with which my Sheba sampler was served with. The sampler included many sauce-like things that were made with either beef or chicken and had flavors ranging from sweet to spicy. (Comparable to Indian curries, but not as strong of a taste and lighter in oil.) Also, a lot of the sauces were made with lentil or chickpea bases, also great protein sources.

In the middle of the platter I ordered was the chef's special lamb that was lamb prepared with "Ethiopian seasoning" and cooked with onions, rosemary, and garlic. Though the lamb was a bit like jerky, it was very fragrant and went well with the injera.

Definitely a different experience eating with my hands. I did a lot of reading on etiquette and you are only supposed to use your right hand and use the injera to wrap the food and use only your thumb, index, and middle fingers. A very novel experience.

Queen of Sheba
650 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10036

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In terms of grain sources, with natural grasses like teff that have relatively high protein and mineral sources, why is there so much publicity and push for genetically modified organisms such as Golden Rice*? Wouldn't it make morse sense to invest in planting more naturally nutrient rich food sources? Food for thought.

*Golden Rice is a genetically modified rice that contains beta-Carotene or vitamin A traces, in which researchers claim can prevent blindness and other vitamin A deficiencies that cause thousands of deaths in children in developing countries annually.