What do Ethiopians Eat?

(Naturally, my first question is related to food). I've had Ethiopian food once (in Denver) but wanted to know more about what to expect. I've already purchased a sufficient stock of Tums, Pepto, etc. to bring along.

It will be interesting to see how I handle a change from my typical mac 'n cheese, burritos and top ramen diet...

Coffee is a huge crop in Ethiopia and the coffee ceremonies will be really fun to experience (maybe I will cut my Splenda and creamer habits for good!) I highly recommend a documentary called "Black Gold" on coffee crops and fair trade in Ethiopia- see the website under my links.

According to wikipedia... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_cuisine)

Ethiopian cuisine characteristically consists of spicy vegetable and meat dishes, usually in the form of wat (or wot), a thick stew, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. Ethiopians eat with their right hands, using pieces of injera to pick up bites of entrées and side dishes. No utensils are used.

Traditional Ethiopian cuisine employs no pork of any kind, as most Ethiopians are either Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, Muslims or Jews, and are thus prohibited from eating pork. Furthermore, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church prescribes a number of fasting (tsom Ge'ez) periods, including Wednesdays, Fridays, and the entire Lenten season, so Ethiopian cuisine contains many dishes that are vegetarian (Amharic: ye-tsom, Tigrinya: nay-tsom). This has also led Ethiopian cooks to develop a rich array of cooking oil sources: besides sesame and safflower, Ethiopian cuisine also uses nug (also spelled noog, known also as niger seed).^[1] Ethiopian restaurants are a popular choice for vegetarians living in Western countries.

FOODS
Wat- stew with any variation of onions, spices, meat, legumes/lentils, other vegetables, potatoes
Tibs- sauteed meat and/or or vegetables; in history was cooked for special occasion to show particular respect for someone
Kitfo- raw/rare marinated ground beef (spicy)
Fitfit- breakfast dish made of shredded injera (Fatira and Chechebsa are pancake-like breakfast items)

BEVERAGES

Tej is a potent honey wine, similar to mead, that is frequently served in bars (in particular, in a tej bet; Ge'ez ṭej bēt, "tej house"). katikal and araki are inexpensive local spirits that are very strong.

Tella is a home-brewed beer served in bars, which are also called "buna bets" (coffee houses).

Coffee (buna) originates from Ethiopia, and is a central part of Ethiopian beverages. Equally important is the ceremony which accompanies the serving of the coffee, which is sometimes served from a jebena, a clay coffee pot in which the coffee is boiled. In most homes a dedicated coffee area is surrounded by fresh grass, with special furniture for the coffee maker. A complete ceremony has three rounds of coffee and is accompanied by the burning of frankincense.

Goorsha

A goorsha is an act of friendship. As stated above, a person uses their right hand to strip off a piece of injera, roll it in the wat or kitfo, then put the rolled injera in their mouth. During a meal with friends, a person may strip off a piece of injera, roll it in the sauce, and then put the rolled injera into a friend's mouth. This is called a goorsha, and the larger the goorsha, the stronger the friendship.^[4]