http://gulfnews.com/xpress/dubai/news/why-this-flatbread-sells-like-hotcakes-1.1683270
Why this flatbread sells like hotcakes
Eaten like a bread with vegetable or meat dishes, Injera is gluten free
Published: 17:45 March 2, 2016 XPRESS
By Abhishek Sengupta, Staff Reporter
DUBAI An African staple known for its nutritional benefits is selling like hotcakes in parts of Dubai and Sharjah.
Grocery and supermarket owners in Deira’s Al Murar and Sharjah’s Al Nahda - home to many Africans living and working here - say they are doing brisk business, stocking up on packs of Injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread made of teff flour.
High in dietary fibre, protein and minerals like iron and calcium, teff is a species of lovegrass native to Ethiopia and Eritrea and is similar to millet and quinoa in cooking but uses much less fuel. The uniquely soft and spongy Injera made with teff is therefore hailed as a national food in those countries. However business owners say the diet food is in great demand even amongst non-Africans and is fast becoming their food of choice for many, if not a healthier alternative to the usual white bread.
Healthy option
“It’s definitely a lot healthier than an oily paratha or any other form of similar bread and that’s why a huge portion of our patrons and walk-in diners are not just Africans but even people from the Indian sub-continent and Arabs,” says Misbah, a staff at Zagol, an Ethiopian restaurant in Karama that serves over 200 injeras daily.
“We had been getting so many enquiries for injera lately that we finally started selling it from this week,” says Mohammad who runs Al Reem Grocery in Al Nahda. “In this part of town, it’s nothing new amongst the African people but many others are waking up to its supposed nutritional values only now,” said Fazlur who works in Quick Supermarket that’s been selling packets of Injeras for years now – for Dh12 apiece. Each weighs a kilo, contains three injeras and is imported from Ethiopia.
“It’s our daily bread and reminds us of our homes. In our native, we make it in-house but we can’t do it here. So we don’t mind paying Dh12 for a pack,” says Haile, a taxi driver.
Received on Wed Mar 02 2016 - 13:45:26 EST