African high commissioners and ambassadors gathered before us. Photos: Kazuri Photography.
Last week began and ended with landmark events for Canberra’s African community.
May 25 is Africa Day, celebrating the diversity of the continent’s many cultures and the importance of fostering the strength and common bonds they share. Here in Canberra, the official Africa Day festivities took place at the Canberra Rex Hotel.
It was a celebration of unity between African nations and a recognition of African-Australian relations.
My daughter and I were honored to attend the evening, during which traditional clothing was encouraged and worn with pride.
A plate from the Ethiopian flag. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Dynamic drummers opened the proceedings and members of the diplomatic corps, representing at least 17 African countries, were present.
Each nation hosted a pavilion showcasing their traditional foods and drinks. The tables were overflowing with every exotic dish imaginable: aromatic stews and delicious dishes in tureens, fried breads, satiny balls of pounded cornmeal, plantain and semolina, and spicy pilaf.
With so much choice, we initially opted for familiarity, filling our plates with offerings from two countries I grew up in, Kenya and Ethiopia.
At the Ethiopian pavilion, a woven basket held rolled portions of its national bread: injera, soft, spongy, sour and extremely addictive. The chocolate-hued buns were made from traditional tef flour! We topped the injera with the country’s most famous stew, doro wat – chunks of chicken and hard-boiled eggs in a succulent onion-based sauce. Doro Wat is aromatic with a hint of spicy heat. Several other stews filled the table, all made with clarified butter and an Ethiopian spice blend called berbere, with fragrant and complex flavors. Every bite brought us joy!
We were amazed by the breadth and diversity of the dishes presented.
Kenyan chapati, nyama choma, sikuma wiki and ugali. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
The Kenyan pavilion offered national dishes that took me back to my childhood. Nyama Choma – roasted meat and ugali, Kenya’s staple cornmeal and a perfect vehicle for stews and sauces. We enjoyed the sikumu wiki, a lightly spicy stew of green cabbage and tomatoes, made all the more special because the greens came straight from my friend’s house. farm (garden). We happily washed it all down with steaming cups of sweet, hot, milky Swahili chai.
Dishes from many other nations delighted and surprised us. The Sudanese pavilion offered fried falafel discs, crunchy, golden and flatter than their Turkish counterparts, but so tasty.
For me, the signature dish of Sudan was the silky asida. Made from flour, butter and water, the creamy texture of the asida was lush, like a savory crème brûlée and topped with two lush sauces. Delicious!
My evening dish was probably the simplest my taste buds had encountered, but in terms of texture and flavor pairing, it was perfection. Zimbabwean sadza with tomato sauce. The texture of the ball of sadza, pounded flour, was soft and chewy. Like a stress ball you could eat! I tore it into pieces and dragged it into the tomato sauce, and it brought back so many happy memories. This sauce is made with just four ingredients: tomato, onions, salt and oil.
Sikumu wiki, a lightly spicy stew of green cabbage and tomato. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
The greatest memory of the evening for us, what warmed our hearts even more than our bellies, was the hospitality and friendship we found around the tables and breaking bread with people we came to. just met. United in our love for Africa, its food and exclaiming with joy at the shared knowledge and memories of the townships and places. We experienced inclusion and true almost (Swahili for welcome).
The second big event this week affects much more than the African community.
Fekerte, our beloved queen of Ethiopian cuisine, has officially retired and will no longer delight our taste buds with her injera bu wat. Thirty years of hospitality is a significant achievement. Although she will miss all of her wonderful clients, she is so ready to use her free time to explore her other interests and invest in Grandma duty!
The legendary Fekerte Tesfaye from Fekerte’s beloved Ethiopian. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
I arrived in New Acton on Friday to attend his informal farewell to family and friends after the store closed for the last time. One of his children said: “I still haven’t found any good Ethiopians where I live. Mom is just a great cook!
Yes, yes, and I have been lucky enough to enjoy its injera and stews for over 30 years.
Thank you for your amazing gift of Ethiopian cuisine and warm hospitality, Fekerte! Enjoy the rest.
These weekend events made me wonder: where can I go in Canberra to get East African, West African or Central African food?
I don’t want to wait until Africa Day next year to taste these delights again and relive this camaraderie. I don’t want to travel to another capital to eat African food.
Are there any African restaurants or home caterers we should know about?
