Ethiopian cuisine in Reykjavík
Sisters Tsige og Liya at Teni, the first Ethiopian restaurant in Reykjavík. mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
Straddling the Rift Valley of East Africa, Ethiopia has been called the "Land of Bread and Honey"and its cuisine is one of the world's best kept secrets.
Ethopian cooking can now be tasted in Reykjavík as sisters Liya Yirga Behaga and Tsige Yirga Behaga have just opened Teni, the first Ethopian restaurant in Reykjavík. Ethiopian food is a spicy mix of vegetable and lentil stews and slow-simmered meats eaten with Injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread. No utensils are used when eating Ethiopian food, just bread and your own fingers.
The new restaurant in Skúlagata, central Reykjavík, is decorated in East African style and music from Ethiopia eminates from the speakers. The sisters have been brought up in the restaurant business, as theri mother Teni ran a restaurant for over 17 years in Ethiopia.
"She's our rolemodel and that's why we named the restaurant after her. "
All dishes are made from scratch using products from Ethiopia including berberi and fresh turmeric as well as Ethiopian chili. The coffee at Teni is Ethiopian and at the restaurant you can partake in an Ethiopian coffee ritual.
Teni is located at Skúlagata 17 and opening hours are from 11.30 - 21.00 Monday to Wednesday and from 11.30 - 22.00 Thursday to Sunday.
