Ethiopia

Ethiopia broke the Scramble for Africa at Adwa in 1896 and was never made a European colony, though Italy did occupy it from 1936 to 1941, and Liberia holds a similar claim. Its cuisine stands equally apart, built around injera, a tangy fermented teff flatbread that doubles as plate and utensil for an array of spiced stews called wat. The fiery berbere spice blend and spiced clarified butter niter kibbeh give the food its signature depth, and long fasting traditions have produced a rich vegan repertoire.

Injera begins with ersho, a splash of sour starter kept back from the last batch and stirred into teff flour and water, then left to ferment for two or three days before it meets a hot clay griddle. What comes off is tangy, spongy and pocked with holes, and it is laid out as the plate itself, with the stews ladled directly onto it.

Orthodox fasting rules bar animal products on a great many days of the year, which has quietly built one of the world's deepest everyday vegan repertoires: shiro milled from chickpeas, lentil stews, and boiled greens, set out together on a woven mesob basket. Coffee gets its own unhurried ritual, green beans roasted over charcoal in front of the guests, ground by hand and brewed in a long-necked clay pot.

Shredded flatbread tossed in spiced niter kibbeh and berbere, a warm, savory Ethiopian breakfast.