Shiro (food)
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Shiro (), also called shiro wat (), or tsebhi shiro (), is a
stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been Cooking, cooked in Soup, liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for ...
served for either lunch or dinner, originating from Northern
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
and Southern
Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
. An essential part of Eritrean and
Ethiopian cuisine Ethiopian cuisine ( "Ye-Ītyōṗṗyā məgəb") characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes. This is usually in the form of ''wat (food), wat,'' a thick stew, served on top of ''injera'' (), a large sourdough f ...
, its primary ingredient is powdered
chickpeas The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, garbanzo, garbanzo bean, or Egypt ...
or
broad bean ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Vari ...
meal and often prepared with the addition of minced
onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
s,
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
and, depending upon regional variation, ground
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
or chopped tomatoes and chili-peppers. Shiro is served atop
injera Injera (, ; ; ) is a sour fermented pancake-like flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, injera is a staple. Injera is central to the dining process in Amhara community, like br ...
(leavened flatbread) or
kitcha Kitcha (, kitta ) ( ) is a relatively thin unleavened bread typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It is generally made with wheat flour, water, and salt. It is cooked in a hot pan free-form until one side is cooked. It is then picked up a ...
(unleavened flatbread). Tegabino shiro is a type of shiro made from heavily spiced legume, chickpea, field pea, or fava bean, oil (or butter), and water. It is brought bubbling to the table in a miniature clay pot or shallow aluminum pan. It is often consumed with dark or ''sergegna'' injera. Shiro can be cooked and added to shredded injera or taita and eaten with a spoon; this version is called ''shiro
fit-fit Fit-fit or fir-fir ( ''fətfət''; ፍርፍር ''fərfər''), ( Oromo: ''chechebsaa)'', is Ethiopian food typically served as breakfast. Fit-fit is served by preparing sauce and shredding injera or kitcha into pieces and mixing the two. It is g ...
''. Shiro is a vegan food, but there are non-vegan variations that use ''
niter kibbeh ''Niter kibbeh'', or ''niter qibe'' ( '), also called (in Tigrinya), is a seasoned, clarified butter used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. Its preparation is similar to that of ghee, but ''niter kibbeh'' is simmered with spices such as ...
'' (a spiced, clarified butter) or meat (in which case it is called ''bozena shiro''). Shiro is a favorite dish during special occasions, including Tsom (
Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...
),
Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
and other fasting seasons.


Preparation

The preparation of shiro wat first involves cooking the ground chickpeas or lentils. The roasted grains are mixed with water in a separate pot along with onions, garlic, and ginger, which are then sautéed and mixed with peppercorns to create a flavorful base.


See also

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List of African dishes Africa is the second-largest continent on Earth, and is home to hundreds of different cultural and ethnic groups. This diversity is reflected in the many local culinary traditions in choice of ingredients, style of preparation, and cooking techn ...
*
List of legume dishes This is a list of legume dishes. A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for their food grain seed (e.g. beans and lentils, or generally pulse) ...
*
List of stews This is a list of notable stews. A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, bea ...
*


References


Ethiopian Millennium
(electronic version, retrieved 19 June 2007) Ethiopian cuisine Legume dishes Stews Chickpea dishes Eritrean cuisine {{Ethiopia-cuisine-stub