Doro Wat is the spicy chicken stew traditionally associated with Ethiopian Christmas.
The dish combines chicken with slowly cooked onions, clarified butter called niter kibbeh, and berbere, Ethiopia’s characteristic hot spice blend. It is commonly finished with hard-boiled eggs and served with injera, the sour, spongy flatbread used to scoop up the stew. “Doro” means chicken, while “wat” or “wot” refers to a thick stew.
Ethiopian Christmas, known as Genna or Ganna, is celebrated on January 7 by many Ethiopian Christians following the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar. Before the holiday, worshippers may observe a 43-day fast that excludes animal products. Doro Wat is therefore especially meaningful as a celebratory meat dish served when the fast ends.
Tibs is usually a sautéed or grilled meat preparation, and kitfo is seasoned minced beef, often served raw or lightly cooked. Injera is the accompanying bread, not the stew itself. Spelling varies between Doro Wat, Doro Wot and Doro Weiss, but Doro Wat is the standard English quiz answer.