Our story

A tradition to share

Every Eritrean and Ethiopian meal begins with injera. This soft, slightly sour flatbread is traditionally made from teff, a tiny grain that has been grown in the highlands of the Horn of Africa for thousands of years. The batter is left to ferment for a day or more, then baked in large rounds on a flat griddle, called a mogogo in Tigrinya. That is what gives injera its spongy surface full of little holes, made for soaking up sauces.

Injera is also your plate and your cutlery. The dishes are spooned onto one large injera, often on a woven basket called a mesob, and everyone eats from the same platter: you tear off a piece with your right hand and use it to scoop up a little of each dish. Eating from one platter brings people closer together. Placing a bite in someone else's mouth, called gursha in Amharic, is a gesture of friendship and respect.

Coffee belongs to this story too: Ethiopia is widely seen as the birthplace of the coffee plant. In Eritrea and Ethiopia, making coffee is a ceremony in itself. Green beans are roasted in a pan until the aroma fills the room, then ground and brewed in a clay jebena, often while incense is burning. The coffee is poured into small cups, in several rounds, with plenty of time to talk in between.

Behind all of this lies the same idea: a guest is welcomed like family. There is always room for one more at the table, and food is shared generously. That is the hospitality Seni welcomes you with in Almere Haven: come in, pull up a chair and share the meal.