GLOBAL LOCAL CUISINE
Injera is the base for an Ethiopian meal.
Ethiopian—It’s All About the Grains by Laura Booras PHOTOGRAPHY BY WIL FERNANDEZ
I
am wholly and completely devoted to my favorite hobby— cooking. And that means I’m surrounded by recipes, ideas, photos and cookbooks all the time. I love this, but sometimes I get the feeling that I’ve seen and tasted so many things that there isn’t really much that’s new out there. I was feeling that way the first time I had Ethiopian food. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon about five years ago, and a friend had invited me to Petit Valentien in Santa Barbara. Though the restaurant is French, they serve Ethiopian food on weekends, and we were game to try something new. Neither of us had any idea what the food would be like; we ordered everything they offered that day. We dined on lentils and lamb chops with a spicy rub, numerous vegetables and a crisp little romaine salad. Yet the star of the show, which provided a moment of epiphany, was this new and exciting thing called injera. 26 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA SUMMER 2018
If you haven’t heard of it, injera is a fermented pancake-like bread made of teff flour. It has an almost sour taste and a soft texture, and it is the base for any Ethiopian meal. Instead of utensils, Ethiopians tear off a piece of the spongy bread and grab a mouthful of whatever delicacy they desire. It soaks up the sauces and provides a delicious counter flavor to the cuisine itself. It’s a revelation and fairly easy to make yourself at home. Over the years, I have learned more and more about this very grain-based cuisine, and this curiosity inevitably led me to the ancient grain specialist of the Central Coast, Larry Kandarian. Larry grows ancient grains and seeds on his organic farm in Los Osos and sells his wares at farmers markets from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles. His mission is to change the way people eat, encouraging them to take advantage of the health benefits offered by the grains to which he devotes his
