Features

Silver Spring: Little Ethiopia

Jennifer Deseo

When Veronica Haileyesus moved from her native Ethiopia to Brooklyn, N.Y., she was hard pressed to find injera. The spongy sourdough crepe made from fermented teff wheat was not available at her local market, so she was forced to improvise. "I used to make injera from rice flour and whole wheat," she says. "I used to pretend it was good." But Haileyesus pretends no more. Now living in downtown Silver Spring, she buys authentic injera from grocers within a few blocks of her apartment.

"When I run out of berbere, I just walk to the store," she says, referring to a staple seasoning. In fact, a cottage industry of specialty shops and restaurants puts a taste of this east African country within reach of area residents.

Haileyesus, a member of the charitable group Messert Ethiopia, hopes to tempt adventurous diners with Ethiopian fare. On April 8, the organization hosted a fundraising dinner in downtown Silver Spring to benefit educational programs in Ethiopia.

With more than 1,200 Ethiopian Americans calling downtown Silver Spring home, their influence on the neighborhood is palpable and palatable. However, Ethiopians weren't always prevalent in the neighborhood. Pramod Kumar, manager of the family-owned Ethiopian Indian Super Market on Fenton Street, said that most customers were Indian American when the store opened more than 35 years ago. It was in 1986 when Kumar's family recognized the demographic shift and added "Ethiopian" to the store's name and inventory.

"The Indians made money and moved out of the area," he explains in between phone calls in Hindi and signing for a regular injera delivery. "Now, a lot of Ethiopians live here."

A stroll through the shop's narrow aisles reflects the Ethiopian influence on the neighborhood. A wall of Ethiopian videos, CDs, and paperbacks awaits customers as they enter. Towards the back, brown and beige injera are stacked like giant flapjacks in cellophane bags. Shelves abound with bulk bags of lentils, lentil flour, chickpea flour, and dried fava beans. One aisle is dedicated to Indian chutneys and sauces.

On Eastern Avenue, another shop declares the Ethiopian American presence in downtown Silver Spring. At Woder Ethiopian Market, half-pound plastic tubs of flour and spice line the walls. One container, labeled "hot pepper," contains the rust-colored spice mix known as berbere. Heavily accented with paprika, a few tablespoons of berbere mixed with meat or lentils creates a bold wot, or red stew.

Another container, labeled "hot chili pepper," contains the spice mix mitmita. While its dull red color is not as vibrant as that of berbere, its flavor packs far more heat. Mitmita is most often combined with raw beef to form kitfo, a four-alarm steak tartare.

"That one is very hot," the Ethiopian shopkeeper warns, pleading caution with his look.

Indeed, Ethiopian cuisine has gained a reputation for being spicy. But tempered versions of traditional recipes are making the combination of flavors more accessible to a wider audience. At Langano Ethiopian Restaurant on Georgia Avenue, manager Yohannis Yibass shuffles trays of food between the back kitchen and the cavernous dining room. "Our base are the local Ethiopians," he says, "But 40 to 45 percent of our customers are American." Most of Yibass's non-Ethiopian customers order the sampler plate, which features wot and milder yellow alicha stews. His Ethiopian clients favor tibs, a spicy dish of sautéed lamb or beef cubes. What doesn't appear on the menu is pork, which is forbidden by Ethiopian orthodox and Muslim dietary rules, he says.

During the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, green coffee beans are pan-toasted, ground and brewed to make bunna. These beans are from Woder Ethiopian Market.

Ethiopian tradition also dictates that coffee goes beyond the five-dollar double shot sold at some chain stores. For Ethiopians, its preparation is elevated to ceremony, complete with smoldering frankincense to accentuate the coffee's aroma.

This preparation at Ethiopian establishments is a lengthy process. Green coffee beans are roasted until golden then ground and steeped several times, all in front of an audience. Most restaurants perform the ceremony by request, and Messert Ethiopia will feature it at its fundraising dinner.

For Haileyesus, performing the coffee ceremony for her Silver Spring neighbors serves as a reminder that Ethiopia is never too far away. "Even those people who don't drink coffee enjoy the smell," says Haileyesus. "I love the smell on my clothes."

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