Injera

Injera is a spongy, slightly sour flatbread made from fermented teff batter, cooked on a flat griddle and used to scoop up stews. It is the everyday bread of Eritrea and is also made in Ethiopia, where it is just as central to the table. Its flavour and texture come from teff and from days of fermentation, and the bread serves as plate and utensil at once.

What it really is

Teff flour is mixed with water and salt into a thin batter, then left to ferment for one to several days. The fermentation makes the batter bubble and gives the bread its gentle sourness. Just before cooking, the batter is thinned and poured in a spiral onto a large, flat griddle, and a lid traps the steam so the top fills with small holes. The bread is cooked on one side only and is never flipped, which leaves the surface soft and porous. Teff is a very small grain, and its flour gives injera its earthy taste and grey-brown colour.

How it's served

• Laid flat on a large round platter, with stews spooned over the top.
• Torn into pieces with the right hand and used to scoop up the food.
• Served with extra injera folded or rolled beside the stews, which are often made from meat or lentils.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it Injera and say it is a teff flatbread, so guests know what they are ordering.
• State whether the flour is pure teff or blended with wheat or barley, since some kitchens mix them in. Wheat and barley are declarable allergens.
• Mark it gluten-free only if the kitchen can avoid cross-contact with wheat. The batter itself contains no wheat.
• Say whether injera is a side or part of the main, and whether it is priced by piece or by plate.
• The bread itself is vegan, but the stews served with it may contain meat, dairy or butter, so list those separately.