Where to buy Ethiopian spices and groceries in Israel — and what teff is

This guide is a neutral community roundup — not sponsored content and not an ad for any specific shop. It is based on one authoritative source (the Ethiopian Embassy in Israel) plus an independent check of additional shops found online. Tedros has no business relationship with any of the shops mentioned here.

The main Ethiopian spices and staples

• Berbere — the spice blend most associated with Ethiopian cooking: hot red pepper, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, coriander, cloves, black pepper, ginger, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon. The base of most "wat" (stewed) dishes.
• Mitmita — a hotter blend based on African bird's eye chili, used mainly to season meat and for kitfo.
• Niter kibbeh — spiced clarified butter (garlic, ginger, turmeric and more), the fat base of most dishes.
• Teff flour — the flour injera (the traditional flatbread) is baked from. More on teff below.

What teff is — and why it's special

Teff (Eragrostis tef) is an ancient grain native to the Ethiopian highlands, cultivated for thousands of years. The grain itself is tiny — about 2,000 teff grains weigh the same as a single wheat grain — and milling it produces teff flour, from which injera dough is made (fermented over several days).

Two things worth knowing:

• Teff is naturally gluten-free, so injera made from pure teff flour is generally suitable for people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease (worth confirming there's no wheat flour blended in — many producers add wheat to cut cost and speed fermentation, so check the ingredient list).
• Teff flour comes mainly in two colors — light (white) and dark (brown/red) — the difference is mostly variety and flavor, not nutritional value.

Where to buy in Israel

There is currently no official community body maintaining an up-to-date list of every point of sale in Israel. The list below draws on two source types only, and is not exhaustive:

Per the Ethiopian Embassy in Israel's list (ethioemb.org.il):

• Sod HaKesem — a shop specializing in Ethiopian spices and herbs, also active online.
• Mulu Tavlenem — a long-established physical shop in Holon.
• Tizita — an online shop for Judaica and Ethiopian spices (e-tizita.com).
• Kafa Beresau — specializes in Ethiopian green coffee beans (beresau.co.il).

Additional shops found in an independent check that sell berbere online (not on the Embassy's list, mentioned here as an extra option only — verify ingredients, price and shipping yourself before ordering):

• VegaMarket — berbere blend sold by weight.
• Taam LeChaim — a vegan/nature shop in Tel Aviv (Nahalat Binyamin), sells berbere with nationwide shipping.

Buying tips

• Community Facebook groups are a very common channel for "where do I buy" questions and up-to-date first-hand recommendations — for example, groups for community mothers. Tedros does not quote specific content from closed groups, but if you want a current on-the-ground recommendation, this is a natural place to check.
• Before ordering online, check the ingredient list of spice blends — some blends produced in Israel are adapted to local taste and aren't always identical to the original.
• If you're gluten-sensitive and buying teff flour or ready-made injera, explicitly confirm with the seller that no wheat flour was added.
• Prices and stock vary between shops and over time — Tedros does not publish prices to avoid stale information; check directly on the shop's site.

See also

• Ethiopian spice and grocery shops — Ethiopian Embassy in Israel
• More community guides