Authentic Ethiopian flavours
Ethiopian food is unique in that it is very social and meant to be eaten together and shared with others… as tempting as it might be to not want to do so! You will often hear ‘enebla’ – an expression often used where eating is concerned, meaning ‘let us eat’ or ‘come, I’m inviting you to share my food’, in which case you may feel a tad bit guilty for not having wanted to share – they don’t know that though, so you’re all good!
No need for cutlery either, a well washed pair of hands will suffice, particularly if ‘gurshas’ are going around. A gursha is a perfectly rolled up bite of injera containing an assortment of the varieties on the plate, being fed to whomever you’re sharing your food with – strange? Yup… a little. It is, however, a way of showing fellowship, love and affection to the other person. Not a bad way of breaking the ice with your crush. {wink}
Why vegan and gluten free?
Veganism is a centuries-old part of Ethiopian culture – so… we invented it. This is largely due to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and the wide observance of fasting days. Fasting is not only abstinence from meals, but also eating only non-animal products; therefore, Ethiopian cuisine includes a multitude of vegan dishes. In addition, the staple food in Ethiopia is ‘injera’ – a fluffy sourdough flatbread made of teff flour, which is naturally 100% gluten free.
Backed by this rich traditional cuisine, Vegitopia is the only and exclusively 100% vegan and 100% gluten free restaurant in Brussels – yes, even the desserts! We offer a selection of some of the most loved Ethiopian vegan dishes in a new and innovative way, making some of these dishes more practical to eat; others have been gourmandized while preserving their authentic Ethiopian flavours.
The Vegitopia team aka the family tree
Chef Kalkidan grew up in Ethiopia with her grandmother, who ran a successful restaurant for a couple of decades in the capital, Addis Ababa. This heavy influence, coupled with her passion to share Ethiopian cuisine with the masses has been a driving force in establishing Vegitopia. Her daughter Zelalem-Desta, who is qualified in the Hotel & Hospitability sector and is a self-taught vegan pastry chef, works alongside her at Vegitopia.
