Is Injera the Marmite of E.Africa?
If you aren’t familiar with the above two terms here’s a brief explanation. Marmite is a spread typically found on English, New Zealand and Australian shelves that the rest of the half the world finds nasty. It was in fact part of soldiers ration during both world wars. Marmite is essentially a pasty yeast extract which is a by product of beer making and has a powerful salty taste that has people who first have it asking themselves: “why am I punishing myself”.
Injera on the other hand is a flat spongy bread that’s also made with sour dough and yeast common in Somali and Ethiopian restaurants. Why do we compare the two? Because Injera enjoys a love hate relationship with Nairobi’s population just like marmite does with the rest of the world.
If you’ve never had Ethiopian food then allow us to explain a typical meal and how it’s served. Food comes on a large plate first covered with injera then different portions of meat and vegetable stews are placed on this bread. Additional Injera is usually provided folded up much like chapatis and are placed in a bowl or on a plate.
So why do Nairobi residents often dislike the stuff? To start with most Ethiopian restaurants here offer no other flatbread alternative. At least in a Somali eatery you have the option of chapati. Too much injera during a meal wears on the taste buds for a lot of people due to its sour taste. Since meals are typically had by hand you eventually feel like a naughty toddler as you end up spooning the food into your mouth with your fingers. Plus its horrible table manners to lick your fingers during a meal. Just because its finger licking good doesn’t mean you have to do it.
Aside from the sour taste another reason a lot of people are on team #noinjera is that there’s often too much. Despite us comparing it to flat breads like chapati, Injera is typically huge. About the size of a medium pizza. One reader, who asked not be named lest her friends and colleagues make fun of her, told us of her first experience with Injera “When the food came Its was the typical large platter served on what I thought was a white cloth. I reached into the bowl for my napkin as my mum stared at me. In short I thought the Injera was a napkin and I placed it over my lap ”
How about you guys? Ever had a bad experience with Injera and would rather a naan or is it an essential for ethiopian food as spices?
