Ethiopian Daily Life
A quick look at some of the traditional foods, housing, clothing, and lifestyles of Ethiopia.
Modern Ethiopia is a multicultural country with a broad range of lifestyles, ranging from rural farmers to urban professionals. The nation is home to hundreds of cultures and ethnic groups, each with their own unique practices. While elements of daily life among larger groups are explored here, much of this information pertains to Amharic Ethiopians and the broader society of Ethiopia today.
Traditional Lifestyles of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a country of many resources. While luxury items like ivory and gold fed its foreign commerce, its people drew their wealth from the land. How they did so depended mostly on their location. The fertile central regions make up its historic farmlands. To the south, warmer, drier plains are better suited to nomadic pastoralism. The rugged northern highlands, such as the Tigray Region, see a mixture of both with terraced farms.
Ethiopian Cuisine
For most of the region’s history, the people of Ethiopia have raised, hunted, and gathered their own foods. Standard livestock include cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens. Pork is rarely consumed, as it is not favored by either Ethiopian Orthodoxy or Islam. Among the nation’s staple crops are tef grains, wheat, millet, barley, yams, ensete (false banana), and legumes. More recently, crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, and corn have also been adopted to fight food shortages. In addition, coffee is widely grown for export and local use.
These ingredients, grown by climate and culture, form the basis of Ethiopian cuisine. One favorite element of Ethiopian meals is injera, a type of flatbread made from fermented tef flour. This bread can be served with a variety of toppings, most commonly stewed mixtures, or wat, of meats, vegetables, and legumes. Flavorings like ginger, chili peppers, cardamom, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and nutmeg all play an important role in Ethiopian food, which tends to be quite spicy. Meals are meant to be shared, with diners typically using injera to scoop their food from a central platter. Coffee is served with most meals, often roasted fresh and served with a special ceremony.
Historic Ethiopian Housing
Housing in Ethiopia varies, but typical homes follow a few general trends. The most common structures seen are round houses with thatched, conical roofs, differentiated mainly by the materials used to build them. In the north, they are known as tukul and constructed with adobe, stone, or wattle and daub. Where timber is easily found, homes may use planks instead of branches for their underlying structure. Rectangular houses are also built, especially in northern areas or where corrugated iron and similar materials are available. Homes may be clustered together as part of a larger walled compound. In urban areas, apartment complexes and townhouses are increasingly popular.
Traditional Clothing of Ethiopia
As there is no standard culture or lifestyle of Ethiopia, its traditional clothing is similarly diverse. Perhaps the most recognizable textile of the nation is white cotton. The shamma is worn by both genders, a long scarf or shawl used to cover the head and shoulders. This is draped over a dress for women and a shirt and trousers for men. White clothing may be embroidered or bordered with other fabrics for decoration. Modesty, particularly in Muslim areas, is important for both genders. Today, however, Western apparel is also widely sold and worn.
Modern Lifestyles of Ethiopia
Modern Ethiopia is like most other nations, in that its people experience both wealth, poverty, and a comfortable point between the two. The majority of its population is still rural and may measure their wealth in livestock more than currency. These communities tend to be strongly family oriented, meeting to enjoy meals and discussion with each other. At the same time, growing industry in cities like Addis Ababa have encouraged urbanization and the lifestyle shifts that accompany it.
References
Addis Getahun, Solomon and Wudu Tafete Kassu. Culture and Customs of Ethiopia. ABC-CLIO. 2014.
Briggs, Philip and Brian Blatt. Ethiopia. Bradt Travel Guides. 2009
De Waal, Alexander. Evil Days: Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch. 1991.
Gish, Steven, Winnie Thay, and Zawiah Abdul Latif. Ethiopia. Marshall Cavendish. 2007.
Lemma, Misael. “Ethiopia: Economic Growth Behind Ethiopia's Rapid Urbanization.” AllAfrica, AllAfrica, 2 Mar. 2018, allafrica.com/stories/201803010493.html.
Marcus, Harold G. A History of Ethiopia. University of California Press. 2002.
“The World Factbook: Ethiopia.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/et.html.
Uhlig, Siegbert, David Appleyard, et. al. Ethiopia: History, Culture, and Challenges. LIT Verlag Münster. 2017.
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