Kitfo

What makes it kitfo

• Lean beef, minced very fine.
• Niter kibbeh and mitmita.
• Raw or barely warmed — how far is the eater's choice.

Where it comes from

A dish of the Gurage people, now eaten and loved across the country — a treat for a holiday or a guest. The beef is lean and chopped by hand as fine as it will go, then just warmed in the spiced butter, never cooked through.

It comes with ayib, a mild fresh cheese that cools the mitmita, and gomen, stewed greens. Among the Gurage it's eaten with kocho, a dense bread made from the false banana plant, as much as with injera.

How it varies

Tire

Fully raw.

Leb leb

Just warmed, still pink — the way many order it.

Yebesele

Cooked through, for those who'd rather.