F & B News

Ethiopia brings its flavour to India

Beryl Menezes - Mumbai

In an effort to promote Ethiopia as a tourist destination to Indians and provide new insights into its culture, the Ethiopian government has tied up with local travel operators to hold food and cultural promotional shows across the country.

Celebrating Ethiopia's second millennium, a wine-tasting show called 'A Taste of Ethiopia' was held at the JW Marriott. Said ambassador to Ethiopia, Mehreteab Mulugeta, "Most countries in the world follow the Julian calendar, but we in Ethiopia still follow the Gregorian calendar, which is seven years behind. Thus the year 2007-2008 is being celebrated as the Ethiopian Millennium year worldwide."

Previously held in Delhi and Jalandhar, Mumbai is the third in the bracket to host this event. The presentation on Ethiopia displayed for special invitees at the event, concerned heritage places and game parks in Ethiopia, as well as information about Ethiopian traditions, culture and food, including their indigenous cuisine called 'injera'. Wine consultant for Marriott, Craig Wedge, while speaking about wines, introduced two indigenous Ethiopian wines. "While 'Tej' is a honey mead blend, 'Gouder' is a red wine. Ethiopia is also one of the 70 wine-producing nations of the world, which is an unknown fact," he revealed.

Speaking on behalf of Centurion Bank, the main sponsor for the event, representative Ann D'Silva, said, "There are various offers and travel packages which Indian tourists can avail of as part of our experiential packages, in association with the Ethiopian tourism board and local travel agents, which would include sightseeing, visits to places of historical interest in Ethiopia, and as an added bonus, customers would also get a chance to sample ethnic Ethiopian cuisine."