Feast or Fasting?

Fasting appears to be an Ethiopian Orthodox congregant’s lot in life. There are a total of six periods of fasting, in addition to every Wednesday and Friday. Fasting takes the form of abstaining from eating meat, fish or dairy. One result is that restaurants serve excellent vegetarian dishes. Conversely, on the feast days the menus are a veritable carnivore’s delight. This weekend celebrated the end of one of the two-week fasts. The reason for the fast/festival is obscure enough that no one I asked could explain its origin. This weekend also saw college graduation ceremonies; evidence the number of parties in the restaurant wearing graduation gowns.

I know it will surprise some to learn that since arriving, my diet has been wholly vegetarian. Not that I am complaining. That, however, was fully rectified on Sunday with a helping of kitfo, a form of Ethiopian-style steak tartare – delicious! Washed down with a generous, albeit the smallest they serve, glass of tej honey wine. A brewed concoction bright yellow in color and slightly syrupy in consistency with a slightly earthy taste and higher-than-average alcohol content, honey wine completes the traditional feast.

Elspeth, who is a vegetarian, edited and approved of this post.