Tej Bar

On the way back from a birdwatching trip north of Addis Ababa on 2 January, our guide took us to a Tej bar and restaurant about ten kilometres north of the city centre, which he said was the best in or around Addis. He said that at the weekend it would be packed with businessmen and government officials from Addis with their 'fish' (young mistresses). In midweek, at 6PM, it was fairly empty (and also it was just before the Ethiopian Christmas on 7 January, so people were probably busy preparing,visiting family and so on). The bar was pleasant, with one half done in traditional style, and the other as a more modern concrete extention. The basketry objects contain a metal barbecue-style cooking system, and the 'hats' are to keep things clean and cover up while cooking. Unfortunately we had time only to drink some tej, but not to eat.

TASTING

Since the drink is based on honey, we were expecting a sweet drink. However, the Tej had a clear honey flavour without being sweet or sickly, and also had a slight and pleasant sour aftertaste, which reminded us of Lambic. We thought it might taste like cheap sherry, but it didn't at all. It would be easy to drink a lot of this, and it would be probably be good served with grilled meat, as would be done in the restaurant.