You will be visiting a local market called Haron, which a neighborhood market where all the locals shop. Meet your host at her home and then walk for 10 mins to arrive at the open, street side market. Here you will witness the everyday lives of locals while they shop for ingredients and bargain with vendors. You will find stalls selling grains, vegetables, fruits, live chicken, sheep, clothing etc. Walk through the market, learn about the produce that grows locally and buy a few ingredients, before you walk back to Hilena's home for your cooking and meal experience.
Learn to make two dishes from scratch in your Addis Ababa cooking class. The cooking class happens in Hilena's home kitchen and can take up to 2 hours. It is a hands-on cooking class where you will learn to make simple, traditional Ethiopian dishes, using family recipes. Learn to make shiro (Ethiopian chickpea stew) and anebabero (Ethiopian bread), using Hilena's tips and tricks. Please note the menu can vary depending on the season, so please feel free to check with your host what you will be cooking together.
Hilena will welcome you to her modest home for a traditional Ethiopian meal. She will be cooking dishes that she usually makes for her family at home. It will be a simple, home-cooked meal using family recipes and fresh ingredients. A few of the dishes you will be sharing at Hilena's dining table are beyaynetu (Ethiopian vegetable platter) or atkilt (Ethiopian cabbage and potatoes), shiro (Ethiopian chickpea stew), genfo (Ethiopian porridge) and anebabero (Ethiopian bread) or kita (unleavened bread). End your meal with some delicious Ethiopian coffee.
Hilena runs a guest house, so while there may be other travelers present, your Traveling Spoon cooking class will be private. Also, Hilena's home is in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, in Sansusi, about 20 km from the airport. Since public transportation is not very convenient and there are no clear postal addresses in Ethiopia, Hilena prefers arranging transportation for you. If you would like this option please select "Yes" to transportation in the booking form, and a hotel pick up and drop off will be arranged at an additional cost.
Hilena can offer a vegetarian meal on request, so please let her know in advance while booking your Ethiopian cooking class in Addis Ababa online.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Anebabero (Ethiopian bread) or Kita (unleavened bread)Genfo (porridge) Beyaynetu (vegetable platter) or Atkilt (cabbage and potatoes)Shiro (chickpea stew)Hilena is a native of Addis Ababa, she has been cooking since her childhood and is an expert when it comes to traditional Ethiopian dishes, that she learned from her parents. For a few years she lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, where she learned to cook Arabic dishes as well. Apart from cooking, Hilena is also passionate about traveling and meeting people from different cultures and learning new languages. Currently she runs a guest house and loves to welcome travelers into her home, to share her food, stories, knowledge and culture – so that they can experience the Ethiopian way for life. Please note that Hilena is not very fluent in English, so her brother will be present throughout the experience to help translate.
