Ethiopian

My mentee in undergraduate was Ethiopian, and it was on the Ethiopian New Year back in 2000 that I had my first taste of Ethiopian food. Ethiopian is fun, and it's one of the rare cuisines out there that are largely uninfluenced by outside forces. I don't think the various trade routes really changed Ethiopian cuisine over the years, as compared to Italy let's say. Neither tomatoes nor pasta is native to Italy.

Ethiopian drinks tend to be on the sweet side. The basic one is a honey wine, and this Meta beer was bit sweet too.
Instead of serving bread, we had injera crisps with a mild and creamy dipping sauce. Injera is the standard bread made out of a grain called teff and because of fermentation, has a slightly sour taste.

The food arrives dolloped on injera which is laid out on a platter. Another late holds extra injera, and the idea is to tear of pieces and pick up the food. There aren't any utensils, but you can request them if that makes the eating experience mores comfortable. Ethiopian food tastes so different from any other cuisine. I find the flavors more mild and subtle, but when I told them to H, who was also at dinner and who happens to be Ethiopian, she said I should have told her because apparently in the back they have this insanely hot pepper that one can use as an accompaniment. ... Drat.

Despite the copious amounts of slightly sour crepe-like bread, Ethiopian is oddly addictive. So long as it's in front of you, you can't help but keep eating.

Here's a vegetarian platter. The lentils were the best. The meat dishes were take it or leave it, but I usually order this raw beef dish that I like.