Fresh curd cheese packed with spices and matured in a sealed clay pot — a Gurage speciality aged for weeks with chilli and korerima until it turns pungent, then eaten with kocho at feasts.
It is a low-acid dairy ferment held sealed at ambient temperature for weeks or months, with no oxygen and no measured salt target — the conditions the atlas gives no method for.
What goes into it
- ayib — fresh curd from soured milk
- berbere or chilli
- korerima — Ethiopian cardamom
- salt
- sometimes garlic and ginger
How it is made
Fresh curd is drained hard, kneaded with chilli, korerima and salt, then packed tight into a clay pot, sealed with leaves or clay and buried or set aside for weeks to months. Enzymes and bacteria work on it in the sealed pot until the paste turns sharp, orange and strong-smelling.
How long it takes: several weeks to several months
How it is eaten
With kocho or injera at Gurage feasts, eaten in small amounts.
History
A Gurage speciality aged for weeks with chilli and korerima until pungent, eaten with kocho at feasts.
Frequently asked questions
What is Metata ayib?
Metata ayib is a cheese & dairy from Ethiopia: fresh curd cheese packed with spices and matured in a sealed clay pot. A Gurage speciality aged for weeks with chilli and korerima until pungent, eaten with kocho at feasts.
How is Metata ayib made?
Fresh curd is drained hard, kneaded with chilli, korerima and salt, then packed tight into a clay pot, sealed with leaves or clay and buried or set aside for weeks to months. Enzymes and bacteria work on it in the sealed pot until the paste turns sharp, orange and strong-smelling. It takes several weeks to several months.
Can I make Metata ayib at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a low-acid dairy ferment held sealed at ambient temperature for weeks or months, with no oxygen and no measured salt target — the conditions the atlas gives no method for.
What goes into Metata ayib?
Ayib — fresh curd from soured milk, berbere or chilli, korerima — Ethiopian cardamom, salt, sometimes garlic and ginger.
How is Metata ayib eaten?
With kocho or injera at Gurage feasts, eaten in small amounts.
