An interesting and important part of Eritrean and Ethiopian culture is the food. People of all different cultures love Ethiopian food because of its distinct taste. The most important food is injera, which is a bread that is made from tef. Injera serves as the base for almost all meals and it was is used to place food dishes on and pick up food with. The most commonly eaten dish is shiro which is made from chickpeas. Shiro is eaten at any time of day. Bebere is a spice that is commonly used to season food dishes. Bread and pasta are also large parts of the diet because of the Italian influence that is present. Utensils are sometimes used, but most food is eaten with the hands. The act of eating with one’s hands is also something that interests me because growing up around both Eritrean/Ethiopian culture and American culture, I would eat with my hands and utensils at home. However, I do believe that eating with the hands is easier than eating with utensils which makes it interesting that most of the world uses utensils while some use their hands.
The topic of food relates to language because there are specific names for all kinds of food in Amharic depending on the dish and the type of meat or vegetable used. In order to engage in the topic of talking about or ordering food, I need to learn all of the different words for types of food. I already know a lot of the names of dishes, but it is important for me to be able to describe those dishes and ask questions about them. I have included the topic of food in my learning plan since it is such an important part of learning Amharic. One of my main goals is to be able to order food in Amharic since I can probably utilize that aspect of the language the most.
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