Africa

Ethiopian Rue

Ruta chalepensis.

Leaf.

Part Used

Fresh or dried leaf.

Form

Tenadam (Amharic).

Ethiopia, Eritrea.

Pungent, bitter, medicinal-herbal with a musky sharpness.

Traditional flavoring added to coffee during the Ethiopian coffee ceremony; folk-medicinal tea.

Ethiopian coffee ceremony (a sprig floated in the cup); occasional inclusion in spiced butter (niter kibbeh).

Coffee, ginger, cardamom.

Add a small sprig at serving time for coffee; use sparingly given its bitterness.

Fresh sprigs keep a few days refrigerated; dried leaf keeps several months sealed.

No true substitute; often simply omitted outside Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Used in small quantities – rue contains compounds that are toxic in large doses, so this is a genuine caution, not just a flavour note.

Occasionally an ingredient in niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced clarified butter).