Shameta

Ingredients

Ferment

• 500 gbarley, or half barley and half maize
• about 800 ml water
• 2 tbspof a previous shameta, or plain live yoghurt, as starter

To finish

• 150 gniter kibbeh or clarified butter
• 300 mlwhole milk
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspkorerima (Ethiopian cardamom), ground
• ½ tspground ginger

Directions

1. Roast the barley in a dry pan over medium heat until it smells nutty and has coloured lightly, then grind it to a coarse flour.
2. Mix the flour with enough water to make a thick batter and stir in the starter. Cover with a cloth and leave at warm room temperature.
3. Ferment for three to seven days, stirring once a day. It will bubble and grow sharply sour — that acidity is the preservation and it is what makes the grain digestible.
4. Taste from day three. When it is distinctly sour but not bitter, it is ready.
5. Cook the fermented batter in a heavy pan over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens into a stiff porridge and no longer tastes raw.
6. Beat in the niter kibbeh a spoonful at a time, then the milk, salt, korerima and ginger, and cook another 10 minutes until it is glossy and holds together.
7. Serve warm in bowls. It is rich, and a small portion goes a long way.
8. Keep two spoonfuls of the fermented batter back to start the next batch.

Technique

• Stir daily during the ferment and keep it covered. An undisturbed surface grows mould.
• It should smell sour and grainy. Anything acrid or off-colour means it went too warm or too long.
• The butter goes in at the end and in quantity. Shameta is made as a rich food for nursing mothers, and a lean version misses the point of it.

Substitutions

• Maize, wheat or a mixture in place of barley, all of which are used.
• Ordinary clarified butter for niter kibbeh, though the spiced butter is what gives it its character.

Variations

• Some households add ground flaxseed or chickpea flour for extra richness.
• A thinner version is drunk rather than spooned.

History

Made in Gurage and Oromo households chiefly for nursing mothers, fermented for days to soften and sour the grain.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shameta?

Shameta is a fermented & pickled from Ethiopia: thick fermented porridge of barley or maize enriched with butter and milk. Made in Gurage and Oromo households chiefly for nursing mothers, fermented for days to soften and sour the grain.

How long does Shameta take to make?

Shameta takes 30 min plus 3 to 7 days fermenting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Shameta?

Yes, within limits. Maize, wheat or a mixture in place of barley, all of which are used. Ordinary clarified butter for niter kibbeh, though the spiced butter is what gives it its character.

What is the most important thing to get right in Shameta?

The butter goes in at the end and in quantity. Shameta is made as a rich food for nursing mothers, and a lean version misses the point of it.