Firfir

Firfir is an Ethiopian dish of torn pieces of injera mixed with a spiced red sauce and eaten with the hands or a spoon. It is made from leftover injera, so it is a way of using bread that is no longer fresh.

What it really is

Firfir is built on injera, the sour fermented teff flatbread, which is torn into small pieces. The pieces are tossed with a sauce of berbere spice paste, onion cooked in niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter), and water or broth until the bread softens and takes on colour. Versions are made with or without meat, and the meat is usually chicken, beef or lamb cut into small pieces and cooked in the sauce first.

The dish is distinguished by its base of torn injera rather than by a thick stew. Doro wat is a chicken stew served with injera on the side, and firfir uses the bread itself as the main body of the dish. Some cooks make a dry version with little sauce and a wetter version closer to a stew, and the amount of sauce is a matter of household preference.

How it's served

• Served warm on a large platter or in a shallow bowl, usually as a breakfast or light meal.
• Eaten by tearing or scooping with pieces of injera, or with a spoon when the dish is wet.
• Often accompanied by yoghurt, a cooked vegetable dish or a small bowl of extra berbere for the table.
• Traditionally eaten from a shared platter by several people.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the base clearly as injera torn and mixed with berbere sauce, and state the protein if meat is included, for example chicken or beef firfir.
• Flag the presence of milk products, since the classic recipe uses niter kibbeh, which is made with butter.
• State whether the dish is served dry or saucy and whether it is mild or hot with berbere.
• Teff is gluten-free by the usual definition, but a menu should note if the injera is blended with wheat flour.