Seattle Restaurant Guide

On behalf of the management and staff. We would like to welcome you to Habesha. We are certain that your dining experience will be a pleasurable one.

We appreciate your patronage, and are always open to customer comments, questions, or concerns.

Ethiopia Food and Culture

Unlike Western culture, Ethiopians place importance on communal dining traditions. Diners eat from a common platter, and the breaking of bread together takes on a strong social significance, for it is considered essential to maintaining loyal bonds, and friendship.

An example of this is the custom of GURSHA, GURSHA means "mouthful" and refers to placing food in another's mouth, usually a gesture of friendship or affection. Gursha is exchanged between relatives and friends.

Ethiopian cuisine is very unique, and any dish would be incomplete without the addition of special spices that gives each dish its flavor. MITMITA and BERBERE are two kinds of spice mixtures used in Ethiopian cooking.

The main staple of foods for most Ethiopians are INJRERE and WOT. WOT is a stew that usually contains a pepper mixture and can be prepared from meats, vegetables. or fish. INJERA is an unleavened bread with a spongy texture, made from TEFF, a grain comparable to wheat, which is grown in Ethiopia. A piece of Injera is wrapped around a bite of food and placed into mouth with fingers.