Injera is not only a kind of bread it’s also an eating utensil. This spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Injera also lines the tray that the stews are served on, absorbing their juices as the meal progresses. The meal is officially over when this edible tablecloth is consumed.
Teff, a tiny, round grain that grows in Ethiopia’s highlands, is used to make injera. While teff is high in nutrients, it contains almost no gluten. This makes teff unsuitable for raising bread, but injera still benefits from the unique properties of yeast. A brief fermentation period gives it an airy, bubbly texture as well as a slightly sour taste.
