Injera (እንጀራ in Amharic) is a sour fermented flatbread, traditionally made with teff flour. It is an important staple in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and is consumed with nearly every meal. Injera serves as a bed for stews, meats and vegetables, and is also used as a utensil for eating.

For thousands of years, in the highlands of Ethiopia, families have gathered around woven baskets called mesobs, breaking bread from a single, round flatbread known as injera. Injera isn’t just a staple—it’s a communal tradition at the heart of Ethiopian culture.

Made from teff, an ancient grain believed to have been domesticated over 3,000 years ago, injera has been a staple since the time of the Aksumite Empire.

Injera’s sour tang comes from a slow fermentation process—batter resting for days before it’s poured in spirals onto a hot mitad. When it bubbles and steams, forming its iconic lace-like surface, it’s ready to cradle stews like doro wat and shiro.

But the beauty of injera isn’t just in how it’s made, it’s in how it’s shared. Meals built around injera are eaten together, hands only, no utensils. One piece torn and offered to another is a gesture of respect, affection, and community. It’s a tradition passed through generations, unchanged even as kitchens moved from clay stoves to electric ones, and injera followed the Ethiopian diaspora around the world.

Injera isn’t just what’s served at the table—it is the table. It is a tradition of sharing and storytelling stretching across millennia.

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