Addis Ababa Local Customs

4 more images

The Ethiopian people are very friendly, gentle and curious. You may hear the word "ferenjy", which means "white man".

Take a look at the first photo here. The children came out from the playground behind to wish me welcome. They were dressed up because it was the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)

Right behind them a goat was slaughted.

1 more image

I was in Addis Abeba on the new years day, September 9 (After the Orthodox Gregorian calendar, as they use in Ethiopia).

The girls on the photo were singing and celebrating the day. The children were not shy, and liked to sing. It is also a way of getting money as streets musicians, but they didn't ask for money. I gave them one Birr each.

2 more images

For some reason many visitors to Ethiopia want to try this dish as soon as they can. Kitfo (or Ketfo) is raw beef. That’s how it's served. I find this heavy on the stomach and have never had a very good dish in a restaurant. One of my friends made it at home for me and I did find it very tasty. Essentially Kitfo is minced beef marinated in butter with spicy chilli powder and other herbs & spices. It is eaten with injera. My host poured melted butter on top, but that’s as close to heating the dish up as you are going to get.

If you still want to try this dish do 2 things. Go to a top quality restaurant and order ‘Marhabaroui’. That is a little of everything. Specify that you want Kitfo as one of the portions. Enjoy.

Please note: You can get ‘Special Kitfo’ which is deep fried (last picture). I find that kills the taste.

ere Sega, also known as Gored Gored, means raw meat. This is a special delicacy served at weddings (pictured). Some or all of the carcass is hung to show it’s fresh. Appropriately dressed butchers will choose quality cuts for you and even take requests. They cut off cubes with large sharp knives. You are then offered 2 sauces to go with it: Awazi and Berbere. Awazi is a combination of mustard and chilli while berbere is the spicy red sauce you find in Doro Wat.

Some restaurants served this and often label it as Gored Gored. You obviously lose the special excitement of a wedding. I would not eat it except in restaurants specialising in this and having it on display. It’s the only way to ensure it’s fresh and clean.

Gin is served like nowhere else on earth. Gin is made here, its good and it’s cheap. They bring you a big fat glass and start pouring huge measures. They will bring you tonic and fresh lemon slices. Should set you back about 20-30 US cents. I took 3 friends to a bar and we drank a lot of gin and I had change back from $5 easy.

4 more images

Injera is the basic ingredient of any Ethiopian meal. It looks like a large spongy pancake and some of the sizes produced are huge. It is usually laid down in a large circular tray and sauces, meat and/or vegetables are poured right in the middle. Then you use you right hand (only) to tear pieces off the side and scoop of the wonderful food. It has been described as having a slightly sour taste. I find it’s a sharp taste, but blends in well with sauces to produce a mouth-watering flavour whatever the dish.

Injera is made from Teff, a small grain packed with calcium, fibre,
and protein. It is also an alternative for anyone allergic to gluten in wheat. It is also less fattening than wheat.

Served by all restaurants in Addis Ababa. All photos were taken here.

3 more images

"'Lucy," is the oldest hominid that has ever been found and your relative most likely. Lucy was found by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray on November 24, 1974, at Hadar. She has been dated as living 3.5 million years ago. Her name comes from Archaeologists who named her after the Beatles song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Unfortunately, the real skeleton of Lucy cannot be displayed because the fossilized bones are so fragile. What you do see is very small as Lucy was only about 3-1/2 feet tall and weighed a very slight 60 to 65 pounds.

She does have a room devoted to her in the National Museum.

3 more images

These guys are fascinating to watch. They start the day – early – by collecting 3-4 very tall stalks of sugar cane. These can reach up to 6 metres in length! Needless to say they are heavy and awkward for these poor guys to carry around. They will sell you a length of sugar cane about as long as your hand for 1 or 2 Birr (11-22 US Cents). After they hack this portion off with their machete, they now have a lighter and shorter load. They then walk around until dark selling. You can easily tell what kind of day they have had.

If you do like sugary things, please buy a little bit from them. They are lucky to make $3-4 a day.