In Ethiopia, food is an act of shared warmth and community. A meal is rarely eaten alone or in a hurry. Dishes arrive together on one large platter of injera, everyone gathers around it, and eating becomes a way of being close to the people at your table.
You do not need to know any of this to enjoy a meal at Sinq. But if you would like to eat the way it has been done for generations, here is how.
1. Wash your hands first
Because the meal is eaten by hand, it begins with clean hands. In many Ethiopian homes, water is poured over each guest's hands at the table before anyone eats.
2. Eat with your right hand
Traditionally, food is eaten with the right hand only. No cutlery is needed. Tear off a small piece of the soft, spongy teff injera, about the size of your palm.
3. Pinch and scoop
Use the piece of injera between your thumb and fingers to pinch up a bite of food: a tender piece of meat, some onion and a little sauce, or a scoop of lentils. The injera is both your spoon and part of the bite. Try to keep your fingers out of your mouth; the injera does the work.
4. Eat from the part of the platter in front of you
When a platter is shared, each person eats from the section closest to them and works inwards. Reaching across the platter is avoided, and the best pieces are often nudged towards a guest.
5. Save the bottom injera
The injera underneath the food slowly drinks in every sauce, stew and drop of spiced ghee. By the end of the meal, this soaked injera is full of flavour and is traditionally cherished as the most delicious part of the dish. Do not leave it behind.
6. Practise gursha
Gursha is the custom of feeding a bite to a friend or dining partner by hand. It is a sign of honour, hospitality and affection, and the more gursha you are offered, the more you are loved. If someone offers you gursha, accept it with a smile.
7. Take your time, and finish with coffee
An Ethiopian meal is never rushed. Many meals end with a coffee ceremony, where coffee is roasted, brewed and shared slowly, and conversation carries on long after the food is gone.
Example: the traditional way to enjoy tibs
- Tear off a small piece of injera with your right hand.
- Pinch up a piece of tender meat with some sweet onion and a glossy coat of sauce.
- As you eat, leave the injera under the tibs for last. It slowly soaks up the bone broth and spiced ghee and becomes the best bite on the plate.
- Offer the first good piece to someone at your table as gursha.
At Sinq, there are no wrong ways to eat
These customs are an invitation, not a test. If you would rather use a fork, just ask. Cutlery is always available. And if you are not sure how to eat something, ask us. Explaining our food is one of our favourite parts of the job.
Book a table and try it for yourself, or start with our tibs or vegan platter.