A very thick porridge of barley or wheat flour, shaped into a mound with a well of spiced butter and berbere in the middle.
Flour is stirred into boiling water with a wooden spoon until it's stiff enough to hold a shape — hard work, and the whole trick. The mound goes on a plate, a hollow is pressed into its top, and niter kibbeh and berbere are poured in; you tear off pieces and dip them.
It's a breakfast, and it's the dish traditionally made for women who have just given birth. In Eritrea the same porridge is called ga'at, often served with yoghurt around it.