Biddeena making 101 and around the neighborhood...

Today one of my host sisters was making biddeena (injera in Amharic) so she let me watch and learn. (Photos shared with her permission) 

First she prepares the cooking surface by wiping it and coating it with some sort of ground fruit/nut to prevent the biddeena from sticking. Some people have electric injera makers, my family has the real deal. 

Next she expertly (and quickly) pours a measured amount of the teff (a local grain) and water mixture in a circle from the outside to the inside. It's harder than it looks, trust me. 

Then cover it and let it cook for a few minutes. My darling little sister! 

When it's done carefully remove it from the hot surface. My sister would critique nearly each one, telling me if it was too dry, too fat, or if the fire was too hot or cold. I, of course, couldn't tell the difference! But biddeena is a part of every meal so I can understand that it's important to get it right and its a point of pride to do it well.

And voila! Slowly the stack piled up. They tell me this is enough biddeena to last our family for 3 days - seems like a lot to me! Every 3 days they make more. Various vegetables and meats are served on top of a plate of biddeena and it is also used as the utensil to get your meal into your mouth. The darker ones on the bottom are made with a different kind of teff, supposedly more nutritious - and I can tell you it tastes more nutritious if you know what I mean. I prefer the biddeena you see on the top. Oh and the really ugly one on the very top is the one I made, pathetic! But of course my sister was gracious and told me I did a good job. It takes a lot of skill to do it right.

Here is the new baby lamb at our house (about 3 days old); a curious calf; one of about 4 chickens (I've enjoyed eggs for breakfast but there's been no chicken on the menu yet); and our guard dog (he looks slightly cute in this photo but don't let that fool you!)

Beautiful Oromia!

Ciao for now!