The adventure of food exploration in Ethiopia has certainly been an enlightening journey, allowing Cartalyst to experiment and stretch its creative culinary abilities. While the primary objective was to develop a unique burger concept, the rich tapestry of Ethiopian cuisine has presented us with much more than that. Our journey through this food paradise has opened up a pandora’s box of potential in the form of an array of Ethiopian sauces and spice blends that can not only add a dash of authenticity and zest to our product range but also serve as an enticing element for the adventurous food lovers of the world.

Our focus now extends beyond simply creating a signature burger, as we endeavor to curate a diverse deck of spice blends from the heart of Ethiopia. This not only embraces Ethiopia’s rich culinary heritage but also adds depth to global food trends, bringing a part of Ethiopia to plates worldwide.

Ethiopia’s rich agricultural practices and community-focused farming practices serve as the backbone to our product development approach. By sourcing ingredients ethically and promoting sustainable practices, we not only uphold the integrity of the original Ethiopian flavors but also contribute to the local communities and the environment.

The Ethiopian sauces and spice blends, enhanced with locally sourced ingredients like chilies, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, honey, and various legumes, represent the vibrant, colorful, and textural diversity of Ethiopian cuisine. With a balanced blend of these, we aim to offer a diverse product range that pays homage to Ethiopia’s unique flavors while satiating the global palate’s ever-evolving tastes.

The coffee macchiato in Ethiopia was an experience in itself, a rich and creamy delight, hinting at another potential avenue for us to explore. The coffee culture in Ethiopia is profoundly rooted in their society and could serve as an inspiration for a whole new range of coffee-infused products.

As we venture forward, we aim to continue our culinary exploration, creating an eclectic mix of product offerings inspired by Ethiopia’s food and culture. With a vision to add a global touch to every household kitchen, Cartalyst is indeed setting the stage for a culinary revolution.

Some things we learned in the traditional format, and others we explored:

1. Berbere Sauce: The cornerstone of Ethiopian cuisine, berbere is a hot spice blend that consists of chilies, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, among other spices, and can be used in a variety of stews, meats, and vegetable dishes.
2. Wat Sauce: Key to Ethiopia’s signature dish, Doro Wat, a spicy chicken stew, this sauce is a medley of the berbere spice, onions, garlic, ginger, and niter kibbeh (Ethiopian butter). This is preferred with a meat steak.
3. Awaze Sauce: A popular Ethiopian dip and meat marinade, Awaze is a spicy red sauce featuring berbere as the protagonist, Ethiopian honey wine (or red wine), garlic, and other spices.
4. Niter Kibbeh (Spiced Clarified Butter): Although not a sauce, Niter Kibbeh is a spice-infused clarified butter, essential to Ethiopian cuisine. It incorporates spices like turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, enhancing the flavor of various dishes.
5. Shiro Sauce: Shiro is a nutritious, thick sauce prepared from powdered chickpeas or broad bean flour. It is usually flavored with berbere spice, garlic, and niter kibbeh, and its consistency can vary from thin and soupy to thick, almost like porridge.
6. Fermented Chilly Sauce : We experimented by creating one with a rich Umami and a natural ‘fresh fermented’ chilly.
7. Fermented Green Chilly : This has to be my favourite in terms of a freshness in flavour, however there is scope to better it by adding some richness.
8. Ground Nut Sauce : With Coptic Christians fasting, I found that we need to flavour burgers with natural fat and what better way than to use ingredients which are natural and can be enhanced easily with spices.
9. Sesame Garlic Berber : Simply roast some onion, garlic, sesame and then add the flavours of Ethiopia.
10. Spicy Sesame : With over 50 varieties of chilly that I came across, developing this ingredient can be exciting and limitless.

Though the experience may have begun by creating some burger signatures, I have come back invigorated and enthused about curating a blend of spices for the world.

local cheese and cabbage, served with meals