Genfo (Amharic: ገንፎ, gänfo); or Ga’at (Tigrinya: ጋዓት, ga'at) is a simple Ethiopian porridge that is commonly consumed for breakfast.
Barley or wheat flour that is sometimes dry-roasted before cooking is added to boiling water and stirred with a wooden dowel until smooth and very thick. The resulting porridge is stiff and slightly sticky when warm.
Once mounted in a bowl, a well is created in the center. Some cooks will use the small Cin (Amharic) Finjal (Tigrinya) names meaning Ethiopian coffee cups to form the perfect shape while traditional cook use bare hand.
The final step is to fill the well with niter kibbeh (Amharic), tesmi (Tigrinya) meaning butter that has been clarified with spices, and the red-pepper-and-spice blend called berbere, and sometimes use different types of spices called mitmita.
This spicy combination is tempered with (እርጎ) erego meaning plain or flanked yogurt which balances the flavors. The porridge may be eaten with the hands or with a utensil. normally formed into bite-size ball, dipped into a mixture of butter and red peppers.
Genfo is given to a mother who just gave birth because it is believed to have strong repairing abilities. Genfo is also used in wedding preparing sessions in the Tigrinya culture before a couple of days before the wedding. Genfo is commonly eaten for breakfast on the weekend.
Genfo bears a strong resemblance to asida, another stiff, flour-based porridge served with a sauce in its center. Asida is commonly eaten in Arab and North African countries, especially for holidays.
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