Having purchased burbere packaged in a bag in the past I knew the only way to get delicious homemade burbere was to make it at home, go figure. I’ve survived for a year and a half without my own ready supply of this delicious burbere but I decided it was time to put an end to that. My student/friend/clothes washer Aragach was on board and for about a week she researched how much of each spice we would need to make a batch of really good burbere. We decided on an amount to make (we’ll get to that later) and started buying ingredients.
Maybe I should tell you a bit about burbere. It’s a mixture of spices used in just about every Ethiopia dish to a little zing! At first I thought it was rather spicy, but now it is simply delicious and necessary to add to every meal. This essence of Ethiopian food is rumored to contain approximately 13 different spices, but since it is usually homemade, every house makes it slightly different, exchanging some subtle spices for others. I will promise that my recipe has 13 different spices but I’ll take the recipe to my grave! Ok, well, maybe I don’t know the names for all 13 but I think I could pick them out of a lineup!
Aragach and I decided to make 10 kilos of burbere. Why 10? Is it because I’m used to pounds? Was I confused? Was there any good reason I wanted a small child worth of spice? No. There is no good reason. I told Aragach I would give her half, and I figured five kilos for myself and friends would be just about right. I also thought that we weren’t accounting for the weight that gets lost while drying out many of the ingredients, but apparently it was thought over because we ended up with over 10!
The main ingredient in burbere is burbere. Confused yet? The dried out red pepper found in the market is called “burbere” and the final product of this ground up spice mixture is also called “burbere” (both pronounced bur-bur-e). Other key ingredients found in all recipes include garlic, red onion and ginger. The remaining nine are up for grabs, and I left that decision to Aragach and her mother’s advice. I believe some of the spices include cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The preparation lasted for over a week and involved drying, sorting, combining and roasting. And you better believe there is some blood, sweat and tears in there too! Not really, I swear, but I cannot deny that my dog did run across the drying mats a couple of times. I’m not really helping my argument for trying some of this spice when I get home, am I?
Alas the final morning had come. I agreed to meet Aragach at her house at 7am on a Tuesday morning and would we go together to the mill to have it all ground together. I arrived to find her and her mother roasting everything one last time to ensure that all the moisture was out. We then combined the 12 spices in one bag, kept the bag of burbere separate, and added an additional kilo of salt. Bundles in hand we walked across town to find a mill house with a burbere machine that was open. Mills are on every street in Dangila, they are the Starbucks of small-town Ethiopia, but hours of operation are not posted and machines are kept separate to ensure that there isn’t any mixing between your bread flour and your spicy burbere!
With a stroke of luck we arrived at a mill that had just opened and we would be the first customers of the day. I’ve been told that this is a very good thing because the amount of powder in the air is minimal and the machine is not yet hot which heats your product to untouchable temperatures. Being the first ones wasn’t my favorite part even, I was overjoyed that children hadn’t seen us turn in here; we were the only people in sight other than the workers! The moment of truth had arrived when it was time to pay for the grinding, 1 Birr per kilo, weigh-in time. Ten kilos of bubere, three of other spices and one of salt. 14 kilos! Then began the grinding, and I don’t think you can truly know burbere (or Ethiopia) until you inhale burbere and inevitably touch your eye with pepper residue on your hand. Breathing in that intense pepper is unlike anything else; it feels like your insides are on fire and no amount of coughing will suffice. But we survived.
A short while later, after taking plenty of pictures and befriending the mill employees, Aragach donned the basin of burbere on her head and we walked to my house proud of our product. We stirred all the spices together and tasted what our hard work had produced; its brilliant orange color is unlike any color I’ve seen in nature. I no longer worry about what I will do with 14 kilos (minus Aragach’s share) because this spice sells itself. I finally have that homemade burbere I’ve wanted and it smells (and tastes) so good that I don’t even mind that my entire house smells of it!
Aragach and I decided to make 10 kilos of burbere. Why 10? Is it because I’m used to pounds? Was I confused? Was there any good reason I wanted a small child worth of spice? No. There is no good reason. I told Aragach I would give her half, and I figured five kilos for myself and friends would be just about right. I also thought that we weren’t accounting for the weight that gets lost while drying out many of the ingredients, but apparently it was thought over because we ended up with over 10!
The main ingredient in burbere is burbere. Confused yet? The dried out red pepper found in the market is called “burbere” and the final product of this ground up spice mixture is also called “burbere” (both pronounced bur-bur-e). Other key ingredients found in all recipes include garlic, red onion and ginger. The remaining nine are up for grabs, and I left that decision to Aragach and her mother’s advice. I believe some of the spices include cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The preparation lasted for over a week and involved drying, sorting, combining and roasting. And you better believe there is some blood, sweat and tears in there too! Not really, I swear, but I cannot deny that my dog did run across the drying mats a couple of times. I’m not really helping my argument for trying some of this spice when I get home, am I?
Alas the final morning had come. I agreed to meet Aragach at her house at 7am on a Tuesday morning and would we go together to the mill to have it all ground together. I arrived to find her and her mother roasting everything one last time to ensure that all the moisture was out. We then combined the 12 spices in one bag, kept the bag of burbere separate, and added an additional kilo of salt. Bundles in hand we walked across town to find a mill house with a burbere machine that was open. Mills are on every street in Dangila, they are the Starbucks of small-town Ethiopia, but hours of operation are not posted and machines are kept separate to ensure that there isn’t any mixing between your bread flour and your spicy burbere!
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| Aregach's mom roasting everything to ensure it was dry. |
With a stroke of luck we arrived at a mill that had just opened and we would be the first customers of the day. I’ve been told that this is a very good thing because the amount of powder in the air is minimal and the machine is not yet hot which heats your product to untouchable temperatures. Being the first ones wasn’t my favorite part even, I was overjoyed that children hadn’t seen us turn in here; we were the only people in sight other than the workers! The moment of truth had arrived when it was time to pay for the grinding, 1 Birr per kilo, weigh-in time. Ten kilos of bubere, three of other spices and one of salt. 14 kilos! Then began the grinding, and I don’t think you can truly know burbere (or Ethiopia) until you inhale burbere and inevitably touch your eye with pepper residue on your hand. Breathing in that intense pepper is unlike anything else; it feels like your insides are on fire and no amount of coughing will suffice. But we survived.
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| Weighing the spices before entering the mill house. |
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| Grinding the pepper together with the spices. |
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| The pepper is in the machine waiting to be ground. |
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| Aregach and me. |
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| Aregach carrying our wonderful bubere back to my house. |
A short while later, after taking plenty of pictures and befriending the mill employees, Aragach donned the basin of burbere on her head and we walked to my house proud of our product. We stirred all the spices together and tasted what our hard work had produced; its brilliant orange color is unlike any color I’ve seen in nature. I no longer worry about what I will do with 14 kilos (minus Aragach’s share) because this spice sells itself. I finally have that homemade burbere I’ve wanted and it smells (and tastes) so good that I don’t even mind that my entire house smells of it!
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| Back at my house with the bucket full of burbere! |
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1 comment:
Jennifer,
Hello, from PC TONGA. I just want to let you know that we successfully received your postcard from ETHIOPIA. Very cool and the kids were stoked. Keep up the good work all the way over there in Africa. Don't hesitate on contacting me if you need anything from Tonga. MALO 'AUPITO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Best,
Farfum, PCV KINGDOM OF TONGA
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