What to Eat in Lalibela, Ethiopia

Lalibela sits in Ethiopia’s northern highlands, where cool nights, thin air, and terraced fields favor teff, barley, and pulses. Meals are shared on injera, the tangy flatbread that doubles as utensil. Long Orthodox fasting cycles shape what appears on the table.

Cooks lean on berbere spice, slow-sweated onions, and aromatic niter kibbeh on non‑fasting days. On fasting days, legumes, greens, and seed oils take the lead. Food is communal, tactile, and designed to warm the body after hilltop walks and morning church.

Doro wat, the celebratory chicken stew served across Lalibela on non‑fasting days and holidays like Genna and Meskel, begins with a mountain of onions cooked slowly without fat until sweet and collapsed, then enriched with niter kibbeh, berbere, garlic, and ginger. The chicken is rubbed with lemon and salt and often cut into twelve pieces, then simmered in the brick‑red sauce with hard‑boiled eggs whose surfaces are lightly slit to drink in the spice. The result is glossy, deeply layered heat—smoky chilies balanced by buttery aromatics and a late pinch of mekelesha, a finishing blend featuring korerima (Ethiopian cardamom) and black cumin. Families serve doro wat at Sunday lunches, baptisms, and after church processions, spooned over injera and eaten communally, sometimes with a mild side to temper the chile warmth.

Bayenetu is the vegan fasting platter that defines mealtimes in Lalibela on Wednesdays, Fridays, and during long seasons of tsom. A single injera is topped with small portions of dishes such as misir wot (red lentils simmered with berbere and onions), gomen (slow-cooked collards with garlic), atkilt (cabbage, carrots, potatoes with turmeric), keysir (beet salad), and often a mild shiro. Cooking avoids animal products, so niter kibbeh is swapped for neutral oil, while depth comes from patiently sweated onions, spice infusions, and herbs like besobela and koseret. The platter offers contrasting textures—creamy lentils, tender greens, and soft vegetables—delivering warmth without heaviness. You’ll see bayenetu at home tables and humble eateries throughout the year, but its variety is especially appreciated during major fasts when diners seek both nourishment and flavor without breaking religious rules.

Shiro wot is a silky stew built from finely milled chickpea or broad bean flour blended with spices, then simmered into a velvety sauce that clings to injera. Cooks toast the flour in advance or buy ready-mixed shiro powder, then whisk it into a base of softened onions, garlic, and berbere; fasting versions use oil while non‑fasting versions may enrich with niter kibbeh. Variations range from fiery shiro (with berbere) to mild shiro alecha (without chilies), and tegabino shiro arrives bubbling in a small clay pot with a nutty aroma. In Lalibela, it anchors quick weekday lunches and evening meals, valued for its creamy texture, gentle heat, and the way it delivers protein from pulses; households lean on it during fasting periods, while on feast days a spoon of spiced butter or a scattering of fresh green chilies adds depth.

Tibs is a highland favorite of seared beef or lamb, cut into bites and tossed over high heat with onions, garlic, green chilies, and often a sprig of rosemary. The pan is lightly slicked with niter kibbeh on non‑fasting days, letting the meat pick up smoky edges while staying juicy, and some cooks add a spoon of awaze—a berbere paste—to glaze the surface. The flavor is robust but not stew‑like: you taste the meat first, then the warm lift of spices and the vegetal snap of chilies and onions. In Lalibela it shows up at gatherings, market‑day lunches, and post‑holiday feasts, arriving sizzling and shared over injera; diners tear pieces of bread to pinch charred morsels, sometimes pairing with a mild green to offset the heat.

Genfo is a dense, warming porridge favored in the highlands, made by vigorously stirring barley flour into boiling water until it forms a smooth, firm mound. A well is pressed into the center and filled with niter kibbeh blended with berbere and sometimes a pinch of fenugreek; during fasting, cooks use spiced oil or a paste of ground flaxseed (telba). The taste is nutty and toasty from barley, with a buttery, chile-fragrant core that you pinch from the edges and swipe through the crater. In Lalibela, genfo is common at breakfast, for new mothers, and after cold mornings spent visiting the rock‑hewn churches, delivering steady energy and a comforting texture that holds heat in the cool mountain air.

Lalibela’s cuisine balances altitude-hardy grains, pulse-based stews, and the rhythm of Orthodox fasting, producing meals that are flavorful yet grounded in devotion and seasonality. Berbere-led spice blends, long-cooked onions, and the tang of injera frame both feast and fast. Explore more food traditions, travel tips, and climate insights on Sunheron to plan a trip guided by taste and weather.