[Sca-cooks] Enjera and t'eff

[Christine Seelye-King]

A few days ago there was some discussion about Ethiopian restaurants and the
flat bread you get there.  It took me a couple of days to get my files home,
but here is an excerpt from an article I wrote using industry sources about
Ancient Grains, this section is about t'ef and enjera.
Christianna
yes, Stephan, I'll send you the whole article.

	The last grain in our retrospective of ancient grain varieties is the
Ethiopian t'ef.  The botanical name of t'ef is Eragrostis tef.   The genus
name Eragrostis  is a blend of the Greek words eros ("love") and agrostis
("grass").  Together, they produce the genus' common name of Lovegrass.  Two
theories prevail about the origin of the word t'ef.  One holds that the word
originated from the native Ethiopian Amharic word 'teffa', which means
"lost": if one grain is dropped, it is difficult to find and becomes lost.
The other theory holds that the word was derived from the Arabic word 'tahf'
: the name for a closely related wild grass whose grain was collected and
used by early Semitic peoples in South Arabia in times of food scarcity.
T'ef  and its Eragrostis relatives are also used as ornamentals.  To
Ethiopians, however, t'ef is a highly prized cereal crop, the most important
of all the cereals produced in that country.  Tiny t'ef is the nutritional
cornerstone of the Ethiopian nation, providing nearly two-thirds of their
protein requirements.  Legends related to the crop extend back to 100 BC,
but t'ef cultivation is thought to be very much older than that.  Eragrostis
tef is a fine-bladed cereal grass varying from short to tall, whose
structure of grain-bearing panicles vary from compact and narrow to
spreading and loose in form.  More than 2,000 strains of this important
cereal grass have been collected within Ethiopia.  The seeds of t'ef are
very small; five of them can easily fit on the head of a pin.  Seed color
varies from ivory to dark reddish brown.   The fine-stemmed straw obtained
from the crop is an excellent fodder much preferred by the farmer's working
oxen over straw from other cereals.  Among all the cereal crops, t'ef
requires special care and skill to grow.  The young seedling plants are
extremely fragile and delicate.  Not until t'ef is nearly full-grown can it
compete successfully with weeds; before then it can easily be suffocated by
them.  Barley, maize, grain sorghum, and wheat are easier to cultivate and
harvest than t'ef, but over thousands of years t'ef has held its status as
Ethiopia's premier edible seed crop by virtue of its drought-tolerant
abilities.  Ethiopia's climate has a single rainy season whose rainfall is
erratic and unpredictable.  Called "a reliable cereal for an unreliable
climate", t'ef is a low-risk crop, upon which Ethiopia's farmers have been
able to depend to produce grain in a bad season as well as in a good one.
Commercial t'ef production was started in the United States by American
entrepreneurs Wayne and Elizabeth Carlson, who wanted to supply American
Ethiopians with their beloved bread grain.  Nutritionally, t'ef is a
powerhouse.  It is rich in carbohydrate energy, protein and minerals.  It is
a remarkable source of minerals, with a general mineral content higher than
many other grains.  Phosphorus, magnesium, boron, copper, calcium, zinc, and
manganese are contained in the kernels.  The iron content of t'ef is about
two to three times greater than that of wheat, barley, or grain sorghum.
T'ef is also a good source of vitamins, with thiamin, riboflavin,  and
niacin contained within the kernels.
	In Ethiopia, t'ef is consumed as a soup and porridge and it is brewed into
a native beer.  The greatest use of t'ef however, is in the making of the
famous Ethiopian bread, called enjera.  Enjera is the Amharic name for the
giant Ethiopian pancake, two feet in diameter, which is the beloved food
among all the peoples of the country and is said to comprise 92% of the
rural diet.  The enjera is a porous, soft, very thin crepe with a slightly
sour flavor.  This unique bread is THE Ethiopian daily staple food, served
with all kinds of dishes on any occasion, eaten with the fingers and usually
served at room temperature.  According to experts, in food shortage
circumstances a daily intake of one t'ef enjera supplies enough essential
amino acids to sustain life without any other protein source, while two
enjera are sufficient to ensure good health under subsistence circumstances.
To prepare enjera, t'ef flour is fermented for 1-2 days by a complex of
microorganisms including bacteria, yeasts, and molds.  The fermented batter
is poured in a thin layer on a slightly concave clay griddle of
approximately 30" in diameter, over a very hot fire.  The enjera is covered
with a conical lid cover and the bread is allowed to steam-bake for 2-3
minutes.  Bubbles of gas liberated by the heat are trapped in the dough
during the cooking process.  These air spaces produce an effect which is
much preferred, becoming the "eyes" of the enjera and are thought to bestow
upon the pancake its inviting look.  For dining, one enjera is placed on the
serving table to serve as a platter onto which the food is placed.  Other
enjera are rolled or folded and placed around the edge of the "platter".
The diners seat themselves in a semi-circle around a circular serving table
and use pieces of the enjera to scoop up portions of the hot, spicy
centerpiece stew called 'wot' containing vegetables or legumes and no meat
that is companion to the enjera.  Since t'ef contains no gluten, it is not
suitable for the making of leavened loaf breads, but it offers a delicious
and full-flavored alternative to wheat in waffles, cakes, cookies, muffins,
quick breads, and dessert baked goods.  T'ef is the new gourmet secret
ingredient in the creation of flavor-rich sauces, gravies, and gels.