Title: Categories of food and drink establishments
Course: Hygiene and Environmental Health Part 1 - Ethiopia (Full)

Categories of food and drink establishments

There are several types of food and drink establishment in rural areas. Some may provide only food; others provide food and drinks such as soft drinks, beer and other alcoholic drinks; some provide only snacks and hot drinks. We describe below those establishments that are likely to be found at kebele level.

- Restaurants are food establishments that provide lunch and dinner (Figure 11.1) with accompanying drinks.

Figure 11.1  A typical lunch served in an Ethiopian restaurant. (Photo: Basiro Davey)
- Cafés provide hot drinks and snacks. Hot drinks include tea, coffee, milk, or a blend of milk and coffee (macchiato). The café must have water boiling equipment for coffee and tea preparation. Cakes and doughnuts (such as bombolino, chornake and sambusa) are served as snacks.
- Tea houses provide tea and snacks. Snacks are usually plain bread, sambusa and bombolino. Tea is served after mixing with boiled water in a kettle.
- Tej bet is a drink establishment that offers a local light alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey in water, called tej, which is served in large measures.
- Tela bet is an establishment that provides a local light alcoholic drink called tela. They are common in rural areas of Ethiopia.
- Areki bet is a drink establishment that provides a local drink containing more alcohol than tela or tej. It is consumed in smaller quantities.
- A grocery is an establishment that provides packed food and drink items. Groceries may also provide hot dishes.
- A butcher's shop is a food establishment that offers meat for sale (Figure 11.2).

Figure 11.2  A butcher's shop in Addis Ababa. (Photo: Basiro Davey)
- A bakery is a food establishment that offers plain bread for sale.
- A hotel is a food establishment that offers food, drinks of all types, and bedroom services. The capacity of service and the quality of foods and bedrooms in a rural hotel are less than those of urban hotels.

Take a walk around the centre of your kebele or around the kebele office. List the number and types of food and drink establishments you observe. Categorise them according to the kind of service they offer.

Show answer

The number of food and drink establishments in rural kebeles is commonly less than ten. Likely types are tea houses, tej bet, restaurants and small groceries.

- Tea houses provide tea and snacks. Snacks are usually plain bread, sambusa and bombolino. Tea is served after mixing with boiled water in a kettle.
- Tej bet is a drink establishment that offers a local light alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey in water, called tej, which is served in large measures.
- Tela bet is an establishment that provides a local light alcoholic drink called tela. They are common in rural areas of Ethiopia.
- Areki bet is a drink establishment that provides a local drink containing more alcohol than tela or tej. It is consumed in smaller quantities.
- A grocery is an establishment that provides packed food and drink items. Groceries may also provide hot dishes.
- A butcher's shop is a food establishment that offers meat for sale (Figure 11.2).