Paulos Abrham
Eritrea fought for its independence from Ethiopia for 30 years, finally gaining its liberation in 1991. But a new restaurant on 12th Street in New Westminster is bringing the divided cultures back together again.
Ziada Restaurant, run by three brothers, Paulos, Dawit and Girmay Abrham, serves Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine.
The only war being fought is for your taste buds. And with dishes like spicy lentils, cabbage, carrots and potatoes in a curry sauce spiked with a dash of mitimata, and berber chicken, it’s a war they’ll likely win. Ironically, for two cultures divided by a civil conflict, dinner time in Eritrea and Ethiopia is all about bringing people together.
Meals are eaten communally as families gather around a large plate lined with injera, a gluten-free flatbread, that is dabbed with the main course and side dishes.
There’s not a fork or knife to be found anywhere; everyone tears strips off accompanying rolls of injera and then folds the various spicy concoctions into them with their fingers. “It’s a shared experience,” said Paulos, who came to Canada with his family nine years ago.
It’s about making friends, eating all together.” Frustrated that the growing African community in suburbs like New West, Burnaby and Surrey often had to travel all the way into Vancouver to enjoy their own cuisine, the Abrhams are thrilled with their 12th Street location, even though the roadway and sidewalks have been under various stages of destruction and construction for much of the past year.
But diners resilient enough to endure the lane closures and gravel remnants underfoot are immediately transported to Africa, without the jet lag. Ethiopian music plays over the sound system, the freshly-painted walls are decorated with colourful woven bowls and cheerful tapestries, one of which depicts a traditional Ethiopian wedding scene.
Tucked away in the back corner is a display of items and trinkets from the Abrham’s homeland, including a gapena, a traditional Eritrean coffee pot made of clay. On Saturdays and Sundays, at 6 p.m., the pot is removed from the display to be used in an elaborate coffee service by women in traditional dress that has been passed down through generations. (Source: BC Local News).
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