Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

i have had injera as well. Its got a sour taste, which is definitely an acquired taste, but I don't mind it. It's also very filling. I think of it like an edible spongy towel :)

Wow! How funny and timely... I've been doing a lot of thinking about teff and injera lately. Eager to try it! Any good injera recipes?

Thanks for sharing the links to the bread and other recipes. I don't have any whole teff, so the porridge will have to wait, but I'm kind of excited to try the bread.

Interesting and informative post. I'd never heard of Teff but you've convinced me to try it.

All the injera that I have had tasted like baking soda to me. Every venue. I avoid it now, which is terrible for me because I love all the other aspects of Ethiopian food in the restaurants I have been to. The meat dishes and veg are great, the injera just puts me off.

I had injera years ago in an Ethiopian restaurant and it was ok. Worth trying again.

I too am interested in where you came up with the 30% number in regards to people who never eat whole grains. I'm sure there are some people who eat only refined wheat, rice, oats, etc., but 30% sounds exaggerated. Could you link to the study or survey, please? Thanks!

i also have a total love affair with injera and ethiopian food in general. how awesome that it is gluten-free! i love experimenting with different grains as i have to rotate foods (to prevent developing new allergies). i need to find some teff! great article.

I was once lucky enough to live next door to Ethiopian immigrants and was invited to teach them about the joys of pizza. In return, I learned the joys of Doro Wat and injera. I have been able to recreate Doro Wat, even learned how to make berbere (the spice). Alas, I have been unable to recreate the lushious injera. I would love to be able to buy a bag of teff with a recipe for injera on the side of that bag. Have my prayers been answered?

Learn something new every day! Thanks for the info on teff!

30% is plausible. The author is stating this is only for whole grains. In my younger years, I probably went quite some time without eating a single whole grain. I ate alot of processed wheat in white bread, etc. But whole grain? It's possible that I didn't eat any.

I wonder if there's a totally gluten-free recipe for injera out there? There are a few Ethiopian restaurants in my area, but after inquiring at a African grocery about injera, the clerk there assured me that most of those restaurants will use wheat flour as well. Would love to try it at home! Until then, there's teff banana bread! Thanks so much Shauna!

For those of you looking for a gluten-free version of the wheat injera--I have had good luck making all kinds of things with Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour mix, with a small amount of xanthan gum. I haven't made injera yet--the fermenting time is a bit intimidating to me, but now that I've thought about Bob's gf flour, I might work up the nerve sooner!

I love eating ethopian food and injera's very filling and it abosrbs the flavor of whatever its served on, so the best injera is whaever is under the delicious ethopian food!

Teff flour *is* pretty pricey, but you can buy a smaller amount. I've seen it at food co-ops, local all-organic stores and Whole Foods.

Never heard of it til now , thanks! I love sour dough bread and the sourer the betterer. So I'm sure I'll like Teff as I like most new cuisines and flavors. Now I have to try it.

Hey Karlynne, I do normally return to answer questions. Life has been too full these past few weeks, because we're doing the final edits for our cookbook. No time for much of anything else! But now I'm here, so....

Avaryne, you asked where to find whole-grain teff? Here in the Seattle areas, it's available at PCC stores, as well as Whole Foods. Our local health food store carries it in bulk! So co-ops and "crunchy" places, where you'd find other unusual grains, tend to be your best bet.

(Those of you who are gluten-free, be careful with bulk bins, however, for the cross-contamination problems. The bins that are separate units, where the food comes spilling out of the shoot, rather than an individual scooping it, is a better bet.)

Knitter, teff and bulgur have entirely different textures and consistencies, so I'm afraid this wouldn't be a good substitute.

The few of you who didn't like injera or the taste of teff? Well, to each his own, of course! But I'd encourage you to try again. It's a new taste. And teff flour, added into quick breads or pancakes in small portions, can really add an interesting texture.

Are there any injera recipes that are wholly teff? I've seen them, even though I haven't tried making them yet. And I've also seen recipes that use millet or buckwheat flour plus club soda to mimic the texture. As I wrote, I've been told that it's the water that makes the difference, although I haven't found out exactly what the water should be like! Of course, if you are gluten-free, you can use other flours to substitute for the wheat flour in the recipes that use both injera and wheat.

As far as those of you who doubted the 30% number? I'm going to go back and edit. I read that statistic a few years ago, when first doing research for my book, on some literature from the Whole Grains Council. But since I can't find my original source, I'll back off on that statistic. However, if you think about it, there really are many, many people who go without eating whole grains. Frankly, my husband was one of them when I met him! Peekpoke, many people don't eat oatmeal at all. It's hard to think of movie theater popcorn as a whole grain. And many people really do go weeks or months without eating grains that haven't been pummeled and processed. Most of the rice eaten is white, the oatmeal is instant and comes in a packet, and granola bars contain white flour too. It's getting better. But still, many people don't eat real grains.

Karlynne,

I see your point. However, I do want to make clear that I was not using hyperbole to make a point. Three years ago, I had that statistic in my hand, from a reliable source. I edited because I could no longer find that statistic. But the original point still stands.