Beyaynetu: The Cornerstone of Ethiopian Cuisine

Here's a picture I took of a dish of beyaynetu we ate in Hawassa.  It's essentially a plate of injerra bread topped with different kinds of beans and bean pastes, cooked/raw vegetables, rice, and tibs.  Tibs are just little bits of meats often sauteed in a spicy sauce.  This dish is consumed by tearing off a small fragment of the injerra bread (in your right hand, traditionally) and scooping up some ingredients from the assortment in front of you.

I enjoyed eating this dish because it's a much more communal activity than your average American dining.  Usually you're in a group of four to six people eating from the same plate of food.  Plus, the etiquette of the meal is much more casual since you grab your food with your hands and there are no utensils involved...my kind of meal!