Guide Note

Injera is a spongy, sour-tasting flat bread indigenous to Ethiopia. It is frequently used to eat stew. It is made with a teff flour batter, which is left to ferment for several days, giving the bread its characteristic sour flavor. Injera is traditionally cooked on a clay stove built over an open fire.

Fast Facts

1. Made with teff flour
2. Eaten in: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Northern Kenya
3. Used to scoop up different sauces and stews in place of utensils

Injera is used as a serving platter, eating utensil, and bread. Injera is placed on a dish; stew is then placed on top of the injera. Diners then tear off pieces of the injera with their right hand only, and use it to pick up the stew. Once the injera is gone, the meal is over.

1. Scientific name: Eragrostis, teff
2. Smallest grain in the world
3. Name comes from Teffa, Amharic for "lost", as its tiny size means the grains are often lost
4. Nutrition: 80% complex carbohydrates, 11% protein, 3% fat
5. Excellent source of: Lysine, fiber, iron, calcium, potassium