Ethiopian Dining Etiquette

“Lucy is well-acquainted with Ethiopian foods. She knows how to eat with her fingers and use the bread, injeri, to pick up the food. However, she is unprepared when Isaac, the host she has just met, tears off a piece of bread, scoops up some stew, tastes it, then comes over and thrusts some into her mouth. She is offended to have a stranger put his fingers in her mouth.”
— photo source, Pinterest

Multicultural Manners : Food Etiquette Demands Delicacy

American-born Lucy and her new Ethiopian husband, Eskinder, have been invited to a celebration dinner given by Ethiopian friends of the groom living in the States.

Lucy is well-acquainted with Ethiopian foods. She knows how to eat with her fingers and use the bread, injeri, to pick up the food. However, she is unprepared when Isaac, the host she has just met, tears off a piece of bread, scoops up some stew, tastes it, then comes over and thrusts some into her mouth.

She is offended to have a stranger put his fingers in her mouth.

What went wrong?

The host sampled the fare before offering it to his guests for the same reason royalty employs official tasters: to confirm that the food was safe and delicious.

When Isaac fed Lucy and the others their first bite, he was also acting out a proverb shared by both cultures. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” meaning if you supply your guests with nourishment, they are less likely to become enemies.

Rule: There is more to food than just do’s and don’ts about diet. Certain forms of etiquette make a statement about cultural values such as generosity, safety and comfort.

Mealtime Etiquette

1. Most traditional Ethiopian food is eaten with the hands; this is done by tearing off a piece of injera, using it to grab some food, and putting it directly in your mouth.
2. Traditional meals are eaten from a communal plate, but you should not reach all the way across to the other side to grab food; eat what is close to you.
3. It is polite to eat with your right hand - the left is considered unclean and therefore you should avoid using it if you can.
4. There will always be a way to wash your hands before and after the meal. Sometimes a waiter will bring a basin and pitcher to the table.
5. When greeting others at a restaurant, often they will have already washed their hands or already be eating. In place of a handshake, they will offer you their wrist; lightly grasp their wrist but do not shake it. If your hands aren’t suitable for a handshake either, you can touch your wrist to theirs. 
6. The gursha is a gesture when a person will carefully place a morsel of food directly into your mouth. It is a gesture of respect and it is courteous to accept it.
7. If you are invited into someone’s home, take your shoes off if they remove theirs.  Greet each person present (starting with oldest first.) Always allow any elders to begin eating before you do.  If you are the oldest present, Ethiopians will patiently wait until you begin to eat.
8. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fast two days a week (Wednesday and Friday) and for the two months before Easter.  On these days, observant Christians do not eat or drink until 3pm and also completely refrain from eating animal products (except for fish.) 

— By Norine Dresser, 1994 and Awazetours.com, 2019

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia