THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE
Taste bud tour needs no passport
Ethiopian cuisine goes big on spices, spongy bread and hearty legumes-by Brooke Denisco
''
Africa has as many cuisines as it does languages, but immigration patterns, accessibility to ingredients and the fancies of the American palate have made Ethiopian food synonymous with African food in the Northwest.
Most of Portland's Ethiopian restaurants have more similarities than differences: extremely friendly staff, optional use of silverware and the round, spongy bread that acts as both plate and side dish. Ethiopian bread has several different names -- biddeena, injera and enjera -- but they all mean about the same thing. The common denominator is the shape and size (somewhere between a pancake and a tortilla) and the main ingredient, teff, a grain prized for its nutritional content grown in various regions of Ethiopia and Eritrea...
Tiny and spotlessly clean, this restaurant is actually more like a small market with tables. After ordering lunch or dinner, you can peruse sundries that once may have seemed unusual but will be recognized by yoga enthusiasts and students of anything naturopathic. This is the best place in town to buy ghee, clarified butter that is central to ayurvedic (ancient Indian) medicine and diet.
Start your meal with an appetizer (you won't find them at all Ethiopian restaurants) such as bajiya, patties of ground split peas combined with garbanzo beans and herbs then deep-fried. Instead of serving only biddeena on the side, Horn of Africa also includes a fluffy saffron rice to complement combo plates, which run around $10 and come with meat, mixed vegetables and red lentils.
The boneless curried meats -- lamb and chicken stand out -- are cooked with plenty of garlic to counter any sweetness. Vegetarian selections hint at North Africa with flavors that bring to mind Lebanese cuisine. Try the fava beans combined with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic and African spices..." >>more
newconnexion.net
Horn of Africa,
an Adventure in Ethiopian Cuisine
by Amanda Byron
''Those of you who enjoy ethnic foods may have noticed that over the past decade Portland has developed a long list of Ethiopian restaurants, rivaled only by the famous Adams Morgan District in Washington DC! What you might not know is that Ethiopia, much like the United States, contains many distinct cultures, each with its own variation of culinary influences and traditions.
The Horn of Africa, located at 3939 NE Martin Luther King Boulevard and at Portland's Saturday Market, is an Ethiopian restaurant offering food from the Eastern Region of Ethiopia, close to the geographic "horn" bordering Somalia. The food is highly influenced by the spices and tastes of Indian cuisine, adding spicy curries and complex flavors to the familiar Ethiopian fare.
Khadija Yousuf, the restaurant's talented Chef, combines longstanding family traditions with fresh ingredients and love to provide healthy, hearty food for the soul. Mohamed Yousuf, the restaurant Manager, will be sure to make you feel welcome and comfortable, much like an old friend welcoming you for a long awaited, much anticipated visit. Be forewarned, Mohamed will not be satisfied until you have eaten enough to threaten the seams of your clothing. I have learned to dine at Horn of Africa only when clad in clothing with elastic waistbands. The food is delicious and the prices are surprisingly moderate. I recommend ordering Shafut as an appetizer; you'll need something to hold you while the smells from the kitchen tantalize your senses. Many of the meat dishes are prepared with Halal meat (complying with the standards of compassion and cleanliness required by Islam), and the menu also includes a range of vegetarian options.
Be sure to save enough time to browse in the adjoining store, which carries a wide variety of international and local foods, spices, and beauty items..." >>more
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