The real deal

Our Ethiopian friends invited us to iftar at their house tonight.  I wanted to bring something so I decided on dessert - my daughter was pestering me to make carrot cake but of course pie is much easier - I thought about key lime but ended up making chocolate chip cookies. 

I need to figure out what kind of dessert goes with that food...or if dessert is even traditional.  Perhaps something with yogurt (to balance the spice) or even honey (since white honey is one of their exports and tej is a popular drink).  I can envision something akin to labnah and honey or even a combination of grains and honey. 

In addition to the cookies, I needed to plan for suhoor so I made spinach quiche with crabmeat and tomatoes.  I used my same base - eggs, heavy cream, cheese - but decided to go with extra sharp cheese and seasoned with worcestershire sauce and vidalia hot sauce.

Of course my friend made samboosa (fried triangular shaped patties stuffed with ground beef) and shorba (chicken soup with oatmeal) - I have to learn how to make that soup.  When she served the main course my daughter said "get ready for the real deal."  My friend and her husband assured me that they enjoyed the food I served, but this was definitely different.  She served siga wot (qulwah), alicha lentils, mixed vegetables, rice with green peas, and salad. 

The color and flavor of the wot was deeper and more intense (the Ethiopian berbere is a a brick red whereas the Eritrean berebere is more of a rust color) and it was a much thinner consistency.  I suppose I make it heartier (American style) - loaded with meat (over 2.5 lbs), onions, and tomatoes.  The food was very ample. When I think of the quantity of food that I prepare regularly, it almost seems gluttonous. 

Americans guzzle more resources per capita than anywhere on the globe - oil, water, meat, etc.  However, we're unaware of the hidden costs of consuming animal products, particularly if it originates in the agribusiness sector of food production - first grain has to be produced (this requires huge inputs of water and takes land out of direct food production), then it has to be fed to animals, then the animals have to be processed for either their meat, milk, or eggs.  A natural system only requires land for grazing. 

We regularly consume goo gobs of animal products, yet a significant portion of the world's population is malnourished.  If there's anything that I learned from ethnic cooking, it's that I need to reduce my dependency on meat.