I love Ethiopia, its people, and mostly I love its food! When I travelled to Ethiopia I was so excited to have injera (Ethiopian bread that’s like a spongy, savoury pancake) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Funny thing is: when I went to Ethiopia I was still vegetarian and mostly ate injera with shiro, a smooth paste of chickpea powder, Ethiopian spices, and gobs of butter. Except for the fact that I was in Ethiopia right after Easter so I did end up eating some meat (got it served on a plate and that was that). Yes, you do get lots of other stuff in Ethiopia, especially in Addis, and there’s almost always pasta on the menu thanks to the Italian influence in Ethiopia. But why oh why would anyone want to eat anything else when they get unlimited access to the amazing cuisine of Ethiopia. In Ethiopia!
Despite (because of?) having been brought up in a knife-and-fork-using, salt-pepper-sweet paprika-herbs-seasoning oriented culture, my husband loves Ethiopian food too. So since moving to Toronto, we’ve tried out a few places. Generally, most Ethiopian restaurants we’ve tried have been pretty good.
Sheba on College (North side, just east of Bathurst) is one we tried recently with my husband’s (then) Ethiopian-Canadian boss. And my oh my was it an experience. First, it was like eating in someone’s home. The hospitality was wonderful. Our host ordered the food-4-5 different vegetables, spicy tibs (fried beef cubes), and doro wot, Ethiopia’s most famous chicken curry. We ate and ate until our stomachs couldn’t handle it anymore and there was still food left. Afterwards we had the pleasure of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, with popcorn and everything. Just like in Ethiopia.
The best thing was: we went back minus the Ethiopian-Canadian boss and all we had to do was say ‘just give us what we had last time’. We switched out the spicy tibs to non-spicy and it was still delicious. A good contrast to the incredibly spicy Doro wot. So good. I just have one wish: that they would make Key wot (beef wot), which along with shiro, is my favourite Ethiopian dish.
If you’ve never had Ethiopian food before, remember: you all (everyone in your party, not everyone in the restaurant) eat in from one platter, and you eat with your fingers. If you really want to be authentic, you can also feed the people dining with you once in a while (I’ve never been that authentic). And don’t be shy-it’s easier than you think and much, much tastier. Food is about all senses, and touch is certainly a key sense.
Sheba’s address is:
418 College Street
Toronto for beginners 