Local Dishes

1. Buddeena

   Injera (large thin flatbread)

   Usage

   A large thin pancake-like bread eaten by hand, called injera in Amharic. The variant buddeen also occurs.

2. Daabboo

   Bread (thick, European-style)

   Usage

   Used for thick bread, as distinct from the traditional flat buddeena.

3. Marqaa

   Marqaa (thick porridge of barley, wheat or teff)

   Usage

   A traditional Oromo food, eaten with butter or stew.

4. Marqaan dhadhaadhaan ykn ittoon nyaatama.

   Marqaa is eaten with butter or stew.

   Usage

   Close to the wording of the Wikipedia description of marqaa. Useful for explaining or hearing about the dish.

   Grammar Note

   The suffixes -n and -dhaan mark means or accompaniment (with). Nyaatama is the passive, is eaten.

5. Ittoo

   Stew (sauce)

   Usage

   A stew or sauce served with bread or porridge.

6. Shuroo

   Shuroo (ground roasted pea stew)

   Usage

   A stew made from finely ground roasted pea powder. Dictionaries also give shiroo and suroo as variants.

7. Foon

   Meat

   Usage

   A basic word attested in all sources.

8. Dhadhaa

   Butter (close to ghee)

   Usage

   Put on marqaa or bread.

9. Aannan

   Milk

   Usage

   A basic word.

10. Xaafii

    Teff (grain)

    Usage

    The grain used for injera. Spelled xaafii in the dictionary.

11. Qamadii

    Wheat

    Usage

    A basic word.

12. Garbuu

    Barley

    Usage

    A grain used for marqaa and home-brewed drinks.

13. Atara

    Pea

    Usage

    A dictionary word for pea.

14. Dinnicha

    Potato

    Usage

    A word found in the COED dictionary.

15. Damma

    Honey

    Usage

    A basic word with many dictionary examples.

16. Buddeena ittoo waliin nan barbaada.

    I would like injera with stew.

    Usage

    For ordering. Waliin means together with.

    Grammar Note

    Noun plus waliin means together with, the same frame as buna aannan waliin. This sentence is composed from verified words with regular grammar; it is not copied from a source sentence. A native check is advisable.

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