Injera (Ethiopian bread)(1910); Wat (1959)

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INJERA (ETHIOPIAN BREAD)

   My sister knows someone from Ethiopia who leads tours, and she insists Ethiopia should be my next trip.
   Fortunately, there's an early citation for "injera," the Ethiopian bread.  It's a national dish; it's not in the OED.  There are 5,880 Google hits.


(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
  Hirut's Wedding: Things Old and New; By Anthony Astrachan Washington Post Foreign Service; The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973), Washington, D.C.; May 12, 1968; pg. E2, 1 pgs
("The food was mostly traditional: huge platters of raw beef; rolled-up sheets of injera, the sand-colored Ethiopian bread with a honeycomb structure, which you hold in your hand and use to mop up wat, a fiery stew that was served in chicken, mutton, tripe and vegetable varieties, and dishes of grain that looks and tastes like porridge. ... Drinks include tej, the fermented honey mead that is the national drink; talla, the prune-juice colored wine of the country; beer, Scotch, gin served warm with sweet vermouth, Coca-Cola and champagne at the end.")

  AT A TWENTY-FIVE COURSE DINNER AT MENELIK'S COURT; United States Minister Love Tells of His Experiences In Abyssinia's Capital.; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Nov 27, 1910; pg. SM9, 1 pgs
("The native officials were seated on the floor around small bamboo tables and were served by slaves with raw meat, injera, (a native bread,) and several native dainties, seasoned ten times hotter than chile con carne. ... Their feast consisted of raw meat, injera, and much 'tedj' and 'tella,' (native drinks.)")

("Tej" is in the OED from 1853.  There's one 1952 hit for "talla" under "pombe."  Even the OED has _some_ food terms--ed.)

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WAT

   "Wat" is Ethiopian stew, as described above.  "Doro wat," or chicken stew, has 743 Google hits.  There is also "sega wat," or lamb stew.
   "Wat" is not in the OED.  It's been popular in the US recently.  People asking if the stew is ready say "Wat's up?"


(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
  Ragoutor Wat, It's Always; Stewing Over Budget? Serve Savory Entree; By Elinor Lee; The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973), Washington, D.C.; Jan 23, 1964; pg. D1, 1 pgs
("A thick sauce of sweet potatoes is the secret of 'locro,' a beef-vegetable dish from Argentina.  Beef sukiyaki is a quick, stir-fry dish made by the Japanese.  The Indonesians make their 'semur' by adding transparent noodles, soy sauce and nutmeg to meat.  Assyrians like a lamb and paprika combination while the Ethiopian favorite is called meat 'wat.'")

  Construction Plans Set for Rosieres Dam in Sudan; BIG ROSIERES DAM STARTED IN SUDAN ; By KATHLEEN McLAUGHLIN Special to The New York Times.; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Jun 4, 1962; pg. 43, 2 pgs

  Of Desert Ships, Sands That Sing and VIPs; Exciting Days, Lovely Nights to Remember; By Mary V.R. Thayer; The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973), Washington, D.C.; Dec 27, 1959; pg. F1, 2 pgs
(Pg. F1:  "FOOD AND DRINK--Sipping a 'White Spider, a miracle concoction of vodka and white mint...Dittoing 'Negroni' at the Italian Embassy, an American-beauty colored creation of gin, sweet vermouth, lemon and possibly other ingredients...Nibbling Grindstone cheese, imported from the Thousand Islands by Mrs. Robert Low Bacon...The hot, hot, _hot_ mahogany-colored sauce called 'wat' at the Ethiopian Embassy, a dab dotted on rice, chicken, hard-boiled eggs, makes even hard-boiled humans cry...")