I love spices! There are few things that make me happier than walking into a spice shop and breathing in all the delicious smells. My own pantry is a mini spice shop, and it is A-MAZ-ING!
Next week, February 24th, marks the beginning of the Great Fast (Abiye Tsom) for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is a 55-day fasting period before they celebrate Easter (similar to Lent, but longer). During this fast, Orthodox Christians only eat in the late afternoon or evening, and they cannot partake in any animal products, making their diet entirely vegan. (For more information on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s fasting dates and rituals, check out this website!)
One of the most common dishes during the Great Fast is called a Bayaynet. It consists of half a dozen vegan side dishes on requisite Injera. For the next several weeks, I’ll be introducing you to a new vegan side, and by the end, you’ll be able to make your own Bayaynet at home!
Before we can start on the yummy food though, I wanted to introduce you to some of the more common spices and spice mixes that we’ll be using over the next several weeks.
If you’re not already, now is the time to become BFFs with your local spice shop! If, however, you are like me and can’t seem to find a good spice shop near you, then it’s time to become BFFs with Amazon or Shega Spices!
Fenugreek 
Bishop’s Weed 
Black Cumin 
Black Cardamom
The following is a list of the spices you’ll need for the various dishes. I would recommend using whole spices instead of ground, but if you only have ground, then we can definitely make that work! I would just recommend blitzing your already-ground spices in your spice grinder just for a few seconds to bring out more powerful flavors.
Nutmeg 
Cloves 
Pepper Corn
*The one exception would be Turmeric—I use pre-ground.
**This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. **
Spices to stock up on:
- Fenugreek (also at Shega Spice)
- Bishop’s Weed (also at Shega Spice)
- Black Cumin (also at Shega Spice)
- Black Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Cloves (also at Shega Spice)
- Black Pepper Corn
- Cinnamon Bark
- Indian Long Pepper
- Cumin
- *Turmeric (also at Shega Spice)
Cinnamon 
Indian Long Pepper 
Cumin
Spice Mixes to stock up on:
And now for the spice mixes!
- Berbere
- Mekelesha Kimem (also called Bahir Kimem or Finishing Spice)
- Shiro Powder
Berbere 
Shuro Powder
The most important of these three are the Berbere and Mekelesha Kimem. The Shuro Powder will only be used for one of the dishes, but the others are used in multiple.
**I like to make my own Mekelesha Kimem. Check out my recipe here!**
Once you have these spices and mixes, you’ll be all set to start cooking delicious Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine!
