Ethiopian

Compiled by Moyra Turkington

Names are comprised of a personal name followed by the personal name of the person’s father or grandfather. A child’s surname is the personal name of the father rather than an inherited surname (e.g. Lebne Azmera, son of Azmera Kifle). Women do not necessarily change their name on marriage, but when they do they take the surname used by their husband. In dining, dishes are shared: “those who eat from the same plate will not betray each other”. They are served on and eaten with injera, a flatbread made of the grain teff. When one diner wishes to honor another, they arrange a morsel of food and hand feed it into the mouth of the recipient; this practice is called a Gursha. The traditional alcoholic beverage is a honey wine called Tej.

Male Names

  1. Abebe
  2. Afework
  3. Azmera
  4. Bogale
  5. Daniachew
  6. Kebede
  7. Kifle
  8. Lebna
  9. Mamo
  10. Miruts
  11. Negasi
  12. Selam
  13. Selassiee
  14. Tamirat
  15. Teferi
  16. Tesfaye
  17. Tewodros
  18. Wendimu
  19. Yekuno
  20. Zere

Female Names

  1. Adhiambo
  2. Alitash
  3. Ayanna
  4. Berhane
  5. Cherika
  6. Desta
  7. Fana
  8. Hullanta
  9. Lielit
  10. Lishan
  11. Makeda
  12. Melke
  13. Misrak
  14. Nishan
  15. Sisay
  16. Teru
  17. Wegaye
  18. Worknesh
  19. Yeshi
  20. Zema

Dishes

  1. Aterkik Alitcha - split peas in light sauce
  2. Atkilt Salata - boiled potatoes and hot peppers mixed in salad dressing
  3. Atkilt Wat - potatoes, cabbage, and carrots simmered in sauce
  4. Azifah - whole brown lentils with onions, green chili peppers, spices and a fresh lime juice
  5. Buticha - chickpea dip mixed with lemon juice
  6. Doro Wat - dark chicken marinated in lemon sautéed in butter and stewed in berbere
  7. Fasolia - string beans and carrots sautéed in caramelized onion
  8. Gomen - collard green cooked to perfection with spices
  9. Inguday Tibs - mushroom sautéed with onions
  10. Kinche - crushed wheat salad
  11. Kitfo - (a dessert) steak tartar in butter sauce, served raw
  12. Lega Yebeg Tibs - cubes of seasoned lamb stir-fried with onions, rosemary and garlic
  13. Misir Alitcha - pureed split red lentil simmered in mild sauce
  14. Misir Wat - pureed split red lentil stew in hot berbere sauce
  15. Senge Karya - hot peppers stuffed with sautéed tomatoes, onions, garlic and shallots
  16. Shimbra Asa - chickpea flour dumplings, cooked directly in the wat (stew)
  17. Shiro Alitcha - mild, milled slow cooked split peas are
  18. Timatim Fitfit - tomatoes, shallots and green peppers in dressing mixed with injera
  19. Yebeg Alitcha - lamb cooked in a mild green pepper sauce
  20. Kitfo lebleb - Slightly sautéed steak tartar