Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant

He said:

We decided to try an Ethiopian restaurant. I know embarrassingly little about Ethiopia, including its cuisine. Kathy found an article that explained a bit about the cuisine and dining customs, so we understood a little bit before we arrived. Still, we didn’t know how closely the restaurant would follow the customs presented in the article. For example, would we really have to eat without silverware? (Yes). Or, how “communal” would our meal be? (Just the two of us).

So, with an adventurous enthusiasm, we headed to the Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant, which we found tucked in a strip mall. Although a large sign hung overhead, the restaurant occupied a much smaller portion of the building. With the windows covered, we weren’t sure where to go, or even if the restaurant was open. Fortunately, we spied a sign in the neighboring African market’s window pointing us to the restaurant next door.

Inside, we found a narrow, one-room dining space filled with color. Overhead, colored images of sky and tree branches glowed from the fluorescent lights they covered. The two long walls featured bright murals of Ethiopia. One of the murals showed several iconic Ethiopian sites: the Obelisk of Axum, the Church of Saint George at Lalibela, and the Fasil Ghebbi, a 17th-century fortress. The Church of Saint George, in particular, caught my eye because our menu also featured a picture of it. I decided to learn more about it.

The Church of Saint George and ten other churches were made in Lalibela, Ethiopia, in the 12th and 13th centuries. Together, they make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela. Each of these churches was carved out of the lava rock in the area. Rather than “constructing” these churches, their creators cut away all the rock around them, leaving solid, monolithic structures inside of holes in the ground.

The mural on the other side of the dining room featured agrarian and bucolic¹ scenes. I enjoyed the pop of color, but I hadn’t expected to see so much greenery. There’s another manifestation of my lack of knowledge about Ethiopia. Having heard of various droughts and famines in Ethiopia, I wrongly assumed it must be a barren, desert-like area. There are certainly some arid regions of Ethiopia, but the country also includes several types of woodlands, including a rainforest.

Of course, we came for the food, so let me talk about some of the things we learned. The first thing we learned about Ethiopian cuisine is that the meals tend to be communal. Foods are served on large plates in the middle of the table and shared by all. Diners do not receive plates or silverware. Instead, they pick food from the communal plates with injera.

Injera is an Ethiopian flat bread, traditionally made with teff flour. At the Mahider, they offered rice as a gluten-free alternative, so I suspect they may have made their injera at least partially with wheat flour. Our injera somewhat resembled pancakes—perhaps buckwheat pancakes because of their color—but had a springy texture reminiscent of a crepe. Diners would break off a small piece of injera and use it to pinch bits of food from the central plate. Our table included plenty of napkins as well as a bottle of hand sanitizer. However, several times I caught myself licking my fingers before I realized it. I guess it was a good thing that I got to eat first with just Kathy before trying a larger communal setting.

Unfamiliar with the cuisine and its flavors, we decided to order the Taste of Mahider sampler. This came with three meat entrées, all six of their vegan entrées, and some of their homemade cheese. All of this came served on a large injera on a round tray. A spoonful of each different option created a beautiful palette of color.

I found the food interesting and tasty. I didn’t encounter anything very spicy. I enjoyed the meal, but I would have liked more texture. With a lot of lentils and some chopped vegetables, everything seemed like a purée. Even the two beef options—both stews—used finely cubed beef pieces.

She said:

When Brian suggested that we give Ethiopian cuisine a try, I enthusiastically delved into research, looking on the Internet for information about Ethiopian food. Some tidbits I gleaned from several articles are: Ethiopians depend on a mostly vegan diet, with some chicken, lamb, or beef thrown in every now and then; metal eating utensils are unnecessary; it’s customary to eat with the right hand only; and it’s an honor for someone to feed another—I mean, to literally scoop up food and pop it into someone else’s mouth, mostly for family and friends. Oh, and food is served communal-style—typically on platters—and everyone eats from the same dish. That’s why it’s important—vital, even—for diners to be scrupulous about hand-washing. No licking of fingers allowed!

With all of this new-found knowledge, I told Brian that I hoped the rules at the Mahider weren’t very strict about following their cultural etiquette. Well, there was no need to worry about committing a faux-pas. The Mahider is a small, narrow, and informal establishment. There were lovely, wall-length murals on the walls to lend color and a bit of interest to an otherwise ordinary restaurant. I expected a little bit more of a tribute to Ethiopian culture, such as bright baskets, vases, figurines, etc., placed strategically here and there. To be fair, the tablecloths had zigzaggy patterns in green, yellow, red, and orange on white backgrounds, but I didn’t feel as though I’d been transported to the Horn of Africa in the eastern part of that continent.

Being unfamiliar with the regional cuisine, we told our waitress that we were novices and wanted advice on what to order. We settled on getting the Taste of Mahider platter for two. When it was set on our table, we saw that a large circular crepe-like “pancake” had been placed on top of a round pizza pan. This, we found out, is a bread called injera. Heaped upon the injera were small mounds of various foods:

• Yesimir Wot (red lentils)
• Ater Kik (split peas in turmeric sauce)
• Tikil Gomen (yellow pickled cabbage)
• Gomen (collard greens)
• Doro Wot (chicken in red sauce)
• Siga Wot (cubed beef in a spicy stew)
• Alicha Wot (cubed beef in a stew)
• Ayib (housemade cheese)
• Tomato Salad
• Shiro Wot (roasted, ground chickpeas)

Everything other than the meats was puréed and sort of mushy. This made scooping the different foods with torn pieces of the injera much easier. When I think of finger foods, French fries and chicken nuggets come to mind. Eating Ethiopian style was a fun, unique experience. I especially liked the bursts of flavor from the red lentils, chickpeas, and beef stew, with turmeric, bebere, and other seasonings to enhance the tastiness. These offerings weren’t spicy like the Doro Wot. Actually, I learned after the fact that most Ethiopian food is spicy. That’s unfortunate for me, personally, but at least most of these selections were things I could really enjoy.

Although I can’t envision myself eating this type of cuisine all the time, it was a unique and interesting experience. It was well worth it to give it a try.

Conclusion:

Although not a fancy restaurant, the Mahider offers a fun and unique glimpse into the culture, customs, and cuisine of Ethiopia. Our meal was beautiful, interesting, and flavorful.