The Global Table

Ethiopian

Any meal you order will feature injera, a slightly spongy flat bread that tastes a bit like sourdough and is used as fork, spoon, and serving platter.

Instant expert: Using your right hand, tear off a piece of injera and scoop up some wat—vegetable or meat stew—or small chunks of grilled or sautéed meat called tibs. The specialty might be doro wat, a peppery stew of chicken legs, traditionally served with hard-boiled eggs.

Totally hot: If that's how you like it, try wat seasoned with the intense red-pepper blend called berbere. If not, look for milder alicha wat, flavored with turmeric, which gives the stew a yellow color, more like curry.

A helping hand: Placing a bite of food in a friend's mouth (with the right hand—never the left!) is a gesture of fellowship.