Food - Drink
Ethiopian Kitfo Is Unique Because Of Flavorful Clarified Butter
By NIKITA EPHANOV
From steak tartare to carpaccio, there are many ways to enjoy beef on the rarer side, but there’s nothing quite like kitfo, Ethiopia’s tender, raw ground meat dish that's packed with flavor.
Unlike other raw meat dishes that are more plain, kitfo is unique for including a flavorful mitmita spice blend and niter kibbeh, Ethiopia’s infused clarified butter.
The dish originated in Gurage, Ethiopia. As legend states, the Gurage people avoided cooking meat because fires would give away their location to invading Muslim warriors.
Others believe the dish evolved out of the strict Lent dietary restrictions observed in the Orthodox Christian country, and the dish remains a common Orthodox Easter Sunday treat.
Along with high-quality meat and mitmita seasoning, the niter kibbeh infused with black cardamom, ginger, garlic, caraway, turmeric, and koseret makes this dish exquisite.
Kitfo is often served with injera flatbread, collard greens, and ayib cheese. If you’d like, you can request “lebleb” for medium rare kitfo or “yebesele” for fully-cooked meat.