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A Taste of Ethiopian Culture

On the Cuisine:
The dishes at the Blue Nile are prepared with beef, lamb, chicken and vegetables, cooked with our own spices, to give you the authentic Ethiopian flavor. Don't be afraid of the names of our dishes! We use the language of our Oromo heritage, though you may be familiar with the Amharic words for these foods, some of which are given in parentheses. It's all fairly phonetic, and easy to pronounce.

Dining customs:
The concept of sharing food (eating from the same plate) among Ethiopians is believed to give the sharers a sense of brotherhood and build a sense of loyalty, and can be used to resolve conflicts. Diners eat from the same plate, taking samples of different items and using, in lieu of fork and knife, the traditional Ethiopian flat bread, Biddeena (or "injeera"). Simply tear off a piece of biddeena that comes with your meal, hold it with your fingers and scoop up portions, bringing the food and bread into your mouth. If you've used that piece before the meal is over, feel free to use the biddeena on your plate, underneath the food. Hot towels come with every entree, to clean your hands before the meal. Don't discard the towel, keep it handy for use as a napkin, your fingers will get messy! For those not ready to use the biddeena, we will provide silverware. Also, all of the entrees in the House Special and Taste of the Middle East sections of the menus are knife and fork meals, served with rice, and no biddeena.

Treatment of Guest and Friends:
Feeding the guest by wrapping a chunk or two from the different dishes is a mark of honor and affection. We at the Blue Nile hope you (our guests) would feed one another and strengthen the friendship, love and loyalty between yourselves.

To Vegetarians and Vegans:
Our Gosa Gosa A sampler platters and individual vegetarian entrees are very popular with those who exclude meat from their diet. Vegans, however, should always remember to ask for no yogurt of barbarre, as the barbarre sauce is constituted with yogurt.

Biddeena:
A moist traditional Ethiopian bread, made of tef, wheat flour, water and yeast, giving it a distinctive taste and texture. Our biddeena is fresh as can be, made by hand every day in our kitchen. Tef is the smallest grain in the world, native to Ethiopia, full of protein, calcium, and fiber.

Maraka (Wat or Zignee):
Spicy stews made rich and tasty with Barbarre, a blend of 15 different peppers and spices. Comes with chicken (lukku), beef (sangaa), or lamb (hoolu). These cannot be moderated in spiciness, and all are very spicy, except Maraka Sangaa Huurdi, which uses a milder curry, with beef and potatoes. Each entree comes with a vegetable side, as well as an extra dollop of barbarre if you want to get it hotter, or yogurt to cool it down.

Akaawii (Tipse):
Akaawii dishes are sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and peppers, and can be ordered to specified heat preference – mild, medium or hot. Comes with chicken, beef or lamb. A vegetable side dish comes with each order, as well as a dose of barbarre sauce to spice it up, or yogurt to cool it down.

Chitney:
A spicy sauce made with a blend of tomato, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger with a touch of lemon.