Daata & Chefuye: The Fiery Dips of the Ethiopian Table

Ethiopia's condiment shelf runs deeper than awaze. Two more pastes deserve a place at your table — and an introduction.

Daata (ዳጣ) — the green-and-red firebrand

Daata is a spicy condiment or dip made with pepper and other spices — a traditional Ethiopian hot seasoning paste served with many dishes, especially meat. In the south, where it is fiercest, daata is often pounded fresh from green or red chilies with garlic, ginger, and local herbs, sometimes fermented briefly until it develops a bright, funky edge. It is served in small amounts for good reason and finished anyway.

Chefuye (ጨፉየ) — the Gurage butter paste

Chefuye is a dipping sauce for tere siga (raw meat) made with kibe and berbere, like awaze — but where awaze runs tangy, chefuye runs rich: spiced butter and chili melting together into something between a dip and a sauce. In Gurage tradition it accompanies raw and rare meat the way drawn butter accompanies lobster — the luxury is the point.

How to use them

Daata wants grilled and fatty things: tibs, roasted meat, even eggs. Chefuye wants the raw-meat table — or, in a modern kitchen, steak. Both reward bread-dipping shamelessly. Together with awaze and senafich, they complete the four corners of the Ethiopian condiment table: tangy, fiery, rich, sharp.

Build the shelf

Start from Berbere and Kibbeh for chefuye; fresh chilies and Mitmita for a quick daata. The ready-made gateway is Awaze.