Fasting in Ethiopia: A celebration of spirituality and plant-based cuisine

Once a year, Ethiopia enters a special time when both Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and Muslims observe important fasts. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fast Abiy Tsom, which began end of February this year and lasts for 55 days leading up to Ethiopian Easter. Muslims fast Ramadan, which also started in late February and continues for about a month until Eid al-Fitr. Coming from both backgrounds myself, it’s heartwarming to see communities come together during these fasting seasons. It’s not just about refraining from food — whether it’s hours without eating in the case of Muslims or avoiding animal products for Orthodox Christians—it’s about sacrifice, humility, and spiritual reflection. Yet, it also happens to be an amazing time for food lovers in Ethiopia.

A breakfast sharing plate of firfir and ful medames

If you enjoy exploring different cuisines, visiting Ethiopia during the fasting season is a must. You’ll find delicious dishes that prove how versatile plant-based meals can be. Restaurants and home cooks get creative with vegetables, legumes, grains, and fruits, making every meal flavorful and satisfying.

One plate you can’t miss is beyaynetu, which translates to “various kinds.” It’s a colorful platter of plant-based dishes served on injera, a spongy flatbread made from teff flour. You’ll likely see shiro wot (a creamy chickpea stew), gomen (collard greens), kik alecha (split pea stew), keysir (beetroot), timatim (tomato salad), and miser wot (red lentil stew spiced with berbere). Depending on where you travel, you may also encounter dinich wot (potato stew), shimbra asa wot (chickpea-flour “fish”), telba fitfit (injera mixed with ground flaxseed sauce), or suf fitfit (injera with sunflower seed sauce). Each dish has its own unique taste and represents a long tradition of plant-based cooking in Ethiopia.

A delicious beyaynetu served on a bed of teff injera

Fasting season is close to my heart because it highlights how deeply rooted these dishes are in our culture. However, eating habits are changing. As incomes rise and global influences grow, meat consumption has become more common. During these fasting periods, we return to our culinary roots and celebrate the diverse, vibrant meals that don’t rely on animal products.

If you’d like to try making some of these dishes at home, check out the recipes here or in my two ebooks.

To everyone observing these fasts, I wish you a meaningful and blessed time. May these days bring you closer to loved ones, deepen your faith, and spark your love for the incredible plant-based dishes that make Ethiopia’s fasting season so special.

Thanks,

Helen