Injera is baked after the flour made from teff or deferent cereals and water are mixed and fermented with yeast. It is widely used as a staple food in each of Ethiopian household starting from ancient till the present. Most people need making injera, since it has low cost compared with other food items.
People usually use oven (clay plate) to bake injera, a piece of cloth (mansesha) for cleaning the top part of the plate, and plastics (calabash) for putting the dough on oven. In fact, making injera has passing deferent process like mixing the flour, hot water, and yeast (Ersho) through kneading the mixture in both hands. As part of this, the process of making Injera has similar stage like a farming process.
Injera is a staple food in most of Amhara region, since the time ancient civilization. However, the habit of eating Injera expanded across the nation through time. Particularly, during religious and marriage ceremonies, eating Injera with doro watte is favorite food in the society. However, it does not mean that all Ethiopian people are always making injera. Most of the pastoralists are not able to prepare injera, rather they preferred making small bread (Kitta). Small bread does not take long process, unlike injera.
In addition, Injera is prepared not only for family consumption, it is also prepared for generating income for many women in the country.
Currently, Injera is usually sold at Restaurants, shops, and even at home in order to obtain money. In restaurants, Injera is sold for individuals with a variety of flavors like doro watte (Chicken stews), shiro watte, and so on. However, it is sold without flavors at shops and from home. Injera is baked for family and commercial consumption.
In fact, injera has strong linkage with Ethiopian people. Most rural parts of the country does not have the habit of selling injera, rather they used for hospitality at home. Of course, towns and cities are selling Injera for students who came far from their family for academic purpose. Women sells Injera for employees and labor forces who are bachelors. Therefore, it is used as a means for job opportunity and generating incomes.
Most of the time, preparing injera is the responsibility of women but eaten by both sexes regardless of age.
Nowadays, Injera is being exported to different countries; many exporters are also getting adequate benefit from it.
Once upon a time, Bedelua Habtmariam, works at construction sector says that she changed her commitment from construction to preparing injera and exporting to USA for the past eight years.
According to Bedelua, since the construction sector is extremelychallenging for women, she is urged to move towards Injera selling business. She stated that ‘’Quality Injera needs quality materials like pure teff but some irresponsible exporters are used teff mixing with sorghums and maize in order to satisfy their immoral needs. These are negatively affects the legal exporters and the image of the country. This unethical activity of irresponsible exporters lose equal bargaining chance with legal exporters since they are selling low quality product. Therefore, concerned bodies should manage the daily activities of exporters with helping laboratory.’’
Currently, she has hired more than ten employees who are earning monthly salary. At this time, her factory is now in full operation since she raises the awareness of the employees on the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). The employees are working through keeping their social distances. Particularly, the factory tolerates women who have children till paying full salary even if they are engaged in their work for a half day.
On the other hand, different technologies are now existed in deferent countries, which help for the making of injera easily at home. In this regard, China has launched a technology which helps for washing teff, pepper, and its dryness.
Likewise, the cargo fee charge is increase from 1.88 USD to 2.15 USD for exporting 300 up to 1000 tons of Injera. And paying 2.50 USD for exporting over 1,000 tones, she added.
She further added that, she has on the way of bargaining with Switzerland for exporting Injera but teff is costy which bought 5,000 birr from market and it may hinder to the process. Therefore, providing adequate teff product in the market and avoid illegal exporters has playing crucial role for exporting high quality injera and ensure sustainable benefit from it.
The Ethiopian Herald May 23/2020
BY MESERET BEHAILU
