Check out this taste of Africa right here in Hobart

If you’re looking to expand your food horizons, grab a friend and take your tastebuds on safari, with a visit to Queen Sheba, writes Alix Davis

ALIX DAVIS

2 min read

September 21, 2024 - 12:00PM

The Queen Sheba Ethiopian food truck in Hobart run by Yodit Tafera and Zemenay Gebremichael. Picture: Olivia Hasler, Lousy! Creative.

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Every culture has its carbs. In Italy it’s pasta, in much of Asia it’s rice, in France it’s bread and in Ethiopia it’s injera. Injera is the large, thin yet spongy pancake that acts as both plate and utensil for much Ethiopian cuisine and no meal is complete without it. Made from teff – an ancient grain that originated in Ethiopia and is considered to be one of the world’s first farmed crops – injera has a pockmarked top and a slightly sour taste.

So be prepared to get a little hands-on when you dine at North Hobart’s Queen Sheba food truck. While utensils are provided, Ethiopian food is traditionally eaten with your hands – and who am I to mess with tradition?

The injera (larger than my plate) is served topped with a variety of stews – known as “wots” – which vary depending on the day.

On the evening I visit, the main stew is beef ($26) – large chunks of meat slow-cooked to tenderness in a rich sauce. One of the mainstays of Ethiopian cooking is a heady spice blend called berbere – made of up to 12 spices including chilli, coriander, fenugreek, cinnamon and ginger – that gives a wonderful depth of flavour to the cuisine. Alongside the beef is a yellow split pea curry, green lentil curry, tender beetroot and potato, and sweet carrots with green beans. It’s a wonderfully colourful dish, with a vibrant chilli relish at its centre. While the stews and sides themselves are not overly spicy, the chilli sauce has a real kick to it and the dollop of creamy yoghurt on the side is much appreciated.

The delicious and tasty slow-cooked beef with injera from the Queen Sheba Ethiopian food truck run by Yodit Tafera and Zemenay Gebremichael. Picture: Olivia Hasler, Lousy! Creative

Ethiopian cuisine is most often a family or friends affair and I could certainly have done with a friend to help me eat this generous meal.

Queen Sheba owner Yodit Tafera moved from Ethiopia to Hobart nine years ago and opened her food truck about 18 months ago, showcasing the recipes of her family and homeland. Tafera’s favourite dish is gnocchi ($23), which she serves with lamb, kale, a boiled egg and yes, injera. Gnocchi might not sound like a food you’d expect from the Horn of Africa, but Ethiopia was occupied by Italy for five years from 1935 and many Italian immigrants remained in the country for decades after Italy left – giving Ethiopia a taste for Italian cuisine.

Queen Sheba Injera Catering operators Yodit Tafera and Zemenay Gebremichael. Picture: Olivia Hasler, Lousy!

The Queen Sheba Ethiopian food truck in Hobart run by Yodit Tafera and Zemenay Gebremichael where they have slow-cooked beef with injera; gnocchi with lamb and kale and egg frfr on the menu among other delicacies. Picture: Olivia Hasler, Lousy!

Depending on the day and the event – Queen Sheba can be found at Hobart’s Twilight Market, Winter Feast and Taste of Summer, as well as various other events – there may be sambusa on the menu. These are neat parcels of filling wrapped in flaky pastry and if you think they sound similar to Indian samosas, you’re not wrong. The word “samosa” derives from the Persian word “sanbosag” (meaning triangular pastry) and from there many cultures have their own variation of a stuffed fried dough filled with spicy vegetables/meats with similar names such as “sambusak” in Arabia, “samsa” in Turkic nations, “samosas” in Southeast Asia and “sambusa” in Ethiopian/Somali regions.

Sweets and desserts aren’t a big part of Ethiopian cuisines, but Greek and Italian patisseries sprung up during the Italian occupation and are still popular – making baklava and tiramisu go-to options. For baklava nearby and a sweet finish to your meal, check out Breadline on Elizabeth St for a syrup-soaked pastry.

If you’re looking to expand your food horizons, grab a friend and visit Queen Sheba for a taste of Africa in Hobart.

Some of the delicious, tasty African delicacies, such as slow-cooked beef injera, available from the Queen Sheba Ethiopian food truck in Hobart. Picture: Olivia Hasler, Lousy! Creative.