Injera and Teff: How Ethiopia's Flatbread Is Made and How to Eat It

Sudo Menu Editorial · 3 November 2026

If there is one food that defines an Ethiopian meal, it is injera (እንጀራ). It is the plate, the cutlery and the bread all at once. Stews are served on top of it, extra rolls of it are served on the side, and every bite is picked up with a torn piece of it. Understanding injera is the first step to understanding how Ethiopians eat.

What injera is

Injera is a large, thin, round flatbread with a spongy texture and a gently sour taste. One side is smooth; the other is covered with tiny holes, often called the “eyes” of the injera. Those holes are not decoration. They soak up sauce, which is exactly what you want when the injera sits under a rich stew.

A single injera is usually around 50 centimetres across, cooked to fill a round griddle. In restaurants, a whole injera lines the serving tray and more is served rolled up on the side.

Teff, the grain behind it

Traditional injera is made from teff (ጤፍ), a tiny grain native to the Ethiopian highlands. Teff seeds are so small that a handful contains thousands of them, which makes the grain hard to process mechanically but very efficient to grow: farmers need only a little seed to sow a large field.

Teff comes in several colours, from white to red to brown. White teff makes the lightest, most prized injera, and is usually the most expensive. Red and brown teff give a darker, earthier injera that many people prefer for its stronger flavour.

Teff has become known worldwide as a nutritious grain. It is naturally gluten-free and is a good source of fibre, protein and minerals such as iron. That said, injera sold in restaurants and shops is not always made from teff alone. Because teff is costly, some injera is mixed with barley, wheat, sorghum or maize flour. If you avoid gluten for health reasons, ask whether the injera is 100% teff before ordering.

How it is made

Making injera is a three-day craft that many families still practise at home.

Mixing. Teff flour is mixed with water into a thin batter.
Fermenting. A little liquid from the previous batch, called ersho (እርሾ), is added as a starter. The batter is left to ferment for two or three days. Fermentation gives injera its sour taste and its bubbly texture.
Cooking. The batter is poured in a spiral onto a large, flat clay griddle called a mitad (ምጣድ), traditionally heated over a fire and today often electric. The injera is covered with a lid and steams for a minute or two. It is never flipped. The rising bubbles burst on the surface and leave the famous eyes.

The skill lies in the pour. An even spiral gives an injera of even thickness that cooks through without burning or tearing. Watching an experienced cook fill a mitad in one smooth movement is a pleasure in itself.

What goes on top

Almost every Ethiopian dish is eaten with injera:

Wot (ወጥ): spicy stews made with berbere, such as doro wot (chicken), misir wot (red lentils) or key wot (beef).
Alicha (አልጫ): milder, turmeric-yellow stews without berbere.
Tibs (ጥብስ): pieces of meat sautéed with onion, rosemary and chilli.
Shiro (ሽሮ): the smooth chickpea or bean stew that many people eat every day.
Beyaynetu (በያይነቱ): the mixed platter of several small dishes, especially popular on fasting days.

There is also firfir (ፍርፍር), a dish in which injera itself is torn into pieces and tossed in a spicy sauce. It is a favourite breakfast and a clever way to use up yesterday’s injera.

How to eat with injera

Eating injera is easy once you have tried it a few times.

Use your right hand. Tear off a piece of injera from the roll on the side, about the size of your palm.
Pinch, don’t scoop. Use the injera to pinch a little stew from the tray, wrapping it into a small bite. Your fingertips touch the injera, not the sauce.
Eat from the part of the tray in front of you. Meals are often shared from one large tray, and it is polite to stay on your side.
Leave the base for last. The injera lining the tray soaks up the sauces during the meal and becomes, for many people, the best part.

Gursha

If you eat with Ethiopian friends, someone may feed you a carefully wrapped bite directly. This is called gursha (ጉርሻ), and it is a gesture of friendship and respect. Accepting it graciously is part of the experience, and the bigger the gursha, the warmer the gesture.

Most menus list injera as included with each dish, with extra injera available for a small charge. When a cafe uses a digital menu, it helps to say clearly whether injera comes with a dish, whether 100% teff injera is available, and whether there is a choice between white and red teff. These small details answer the most common questions before the waiter has to.

In short

Injera is fermented, spongy, gently sour and endlessly versatile. It carries the flavours of every stew it touches, and eating it with your hands from a shared tray is one of the most social ways to eat anywhere. Tear, pinch, share and save the last soaked piece for the end.