What Is Wot? Ethiopia's Slow-Cooked Stew Explained

A wot is a slow-cooked Ethiopian stew, built on either meat or legumes and served on injera. The word names a cooking method rather than one single dish: some wot are spiced with berbere, the base spice blend of Ethiopian cooking, while others are made as alicha, a milder version cooked with turmeric instead. At Ge'eza in Point E, both families sit side by side on the menu, from 5,500 F for a legume wot to 9,000 F for a meat wot.

A technique before it is a dish

A wot takes time to make. The base, usually onion, cooks for a long stretch before spices, then meat or legumes, join the pot. The slow simmer lets the sauce thicken and the flavours settle into each other, until it turns almost velvety. That slowness, more than the main ingredient, is what defines a wot, and what sets it apart from a quick saute like tibs.

The berbere family

Berbere gives these stews their colour and their bite. On Ge'eza's menu, this family includes siga wot, made with beef, and doro wot, made with chicken, both at 9,000 F. Among the fasting dishes, vegan and prepared without butter, you will also find misir wot, made with lentils, and shiro wot, made with chickpeas, each at 5,500 F. Doro wot, Ethiopia's festive dish par excellence, has an article of its own: doro wot.

The alicha family

Alicha is the mild version of wot, cooked with turmeric rather than berbere. It suits anyone who wants a rich, slow-cooked dish without the chilli. The menu lists alicha siga wot, made with beef, and mouton wot, made with lamb (sometimes called Lamb Wot), both at 9,000 F, alongside alicha ater kik, made with split peas, at 5,500 F among the fasting dishes.

How to eat a wot

A wot is always eaten with injera, the fermented bread that doubles as plate and fork. You tear off a piece to scoop up the sauce and the meat or legumes, with no knife or fork needed. Injera explained covers the bread itself and how to eat it with your right hand. For a first look at the vocabulary of Ethiopian cooking, see also the Ethiopian food guide, which also covers tibs and firfir.

Tasting more than one wot at a table

To compare a berbere wot with an alicha one, simply order both and share: that is how an Ethiopian meal works anyway, with dishes arriving together on the injera for everyone to pick from. The restaurant page lists the full menu, meat dishes and fasting dishes alike, for planning a visit to Point E.