An assortment of four Ethiopian veggie items and a salad on an injera round make up this colorful combination plate.
There’s a lot to love about the spicy, aromatic wonders of Ethiopian food, and I’ll tell you right now that I love it. But Ethiopian cuisine makes some folks nervous.
Why is that? Here’s why: Walk in to an excellent Ethiopian restaurant like Louisville’s Queen of Sheba without a prior introduction to this ancient East African cuisine, and you’ll see surprising things.
First, everything has an unfamiliar name: What is kik wot? What is atakilt? Who ever heard of fossolia? A covert peek at another diner’s plate won’t reassure you: The entire dish is covered with an odd, thin, brownish substance full of tiny holes, topped with mysterious mounds of colorful stuff that looks as softas a spoonful of mashed potatoes or grits.
And then you realize that people are tearing off bits of that spongy brown stuff and using it to pick up and eat bites with their fingers!
I get the concern, but I’m here to invite you to relax, close your eyes, take a long, deep, relaxing breath, and inhale the delicious aromas of this lovable cuisine.
And here’s the best news for the wary: At Queen of Sheba, you are welcome to have it your way.
The menu explains: “All entrées are served with Injera, a traditional Ethiopian flat sour bread. Traditionally, Ethiopian food is eaten with your fingers by tearing off a piece of Injera and using it to scoop your food.”
But just because you can doesn’t mean you must. Forks are available upon request. You may substitute rice for injera. You can even ask to have your items plated separately.
Not us! We were ready to wield our freshly washed hands and dive in. Injera is an interesting alternative. It’s made with teff, an ancient Ethiopian cereal grain, blended with both wheat and corn flours; and its bubbles and pleasant sourdough tang are the result of healthy fermentation.
Plus, I don’t know about you, but my inner five-year-old loves an opportunity to dig in with my fingers every now and then. ...
Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes:
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/queen-sheba-your-way
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section this week:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Queen of Sheba
2804 Taylorsville Road
459-6301
https://queenofshebalouisville.com
Social media pages have not been recently updated:
https://bit.ly/QueenOSheba
https://instagram.com/queenofsheba_ky
Noise Level: The dining room was almost empty during a lunch hour early during the week, but quiet instrumental music and distant talk at other tables kept the mood pleasant and easy for conversation.
Accessibility: The restaurant appears accessible to wheelchair users, although two entrance doors are fairly heavy.