Ethiopian Spices & Preparation

Berbere - red chili used in hot stews

Mitmita - red chili powder mixed with spices

Awaze - hot paste served as a side
Kareya (Sineg Kareya) - green jalapeno
Sena-fitch - mustard

Ingredients & Major Components

Kibe (Nitr Kibe) - butter with spices

Tej Marinate - Ethiopian honey wine, meat marinate
Ayib - special cottage cheese
Irgo (irego) - Ethiopian yogurt
Arera - Liquid part of yogurt, separated for drinking

Berbere : A popular Ethiopian seasoning prepared from red chili peppers, garlic, & other spice. Berbere is sun-dried then mixed with more spices & used in wots. Berbere is the source of the dark red color in all the hot dishes in Ethiopia. Finely minced onions, berbere, water and seasoned butter are cooked long and slow over low heat until they become emulsified. Although red pepper is the main ingredient in berbere, its is sun dried together with almost 20 other spices and herbs before being milled extra-fine.

Nitr Kibe : Another Ethiopian basic, Nitr Kibe is pure clarified butter seasoned with several condiments and used in traditional sauteing. Almost all of the herbs and spices in Ethiopian cuisine are fused in the clarified butter. The butter is heated slowly to absorb the flavors of as many as thirty seasonings including basil, garlic, cumin, turmeric and coriander to produce kibe. The kibe (the k pronounced with a click) imparts a flavor so balanced and intense that one cannot discern one spice.

Key Wot : A lively sauce prepared with berbere, Nitr kibe & meat, fish or legumes.

Alitcha : A delicately mild sauce made from meat, legumes or beans with garlic, ginger and Ird.

Mitmita : Bird's eye red pepper spiced with cardamom & salt, usually served with Kitfo.