Mesob Across America

Book excerpt: How old is Ethiopian cuisine and the unique way of eating it? Ethiopians proudly say their cuisine goes back 3,000 to 5,000 years. Archaeologists and historians now believe it emerged in the first millennium A.D. in Aksum, an ancient kingdom that occupied whats now the northern region of Ethiopia and the southern region of neighboring Eritrea. But regardless of when Ethiopians began to eat spicy wots atop the spongy flatbread injera, or when they first drank the intoxicating honey wine called tej, their cuisine remains unique in the world. Mesob Across America: Ethiopian Food in the U.S.A. brings together what respected scholars and passionate Ethiopians know and believe about this delectable cuisine. From the ingredients of the Ethiopian kitchen the foods, the spices, and the ways of combining them to a close-up look at the cuisines history and culture, Mesob Across America is both comprehensive and anecdotal. Explore the history of how restaurant communities emerged in the U.S., and visit them as they exist today. Learn how to prepare a five-course Ethiopian meal, including homemade tej. And solve the mystery of when Ethiopian food made its debut in America which was not when most Ethiopians think it did.