Queen of Sheba - An Ethiopian Restaurant in Louisville, KY
My first experience with Ethiopian food and it's here at home in Kentucky.
The Western culinary world looks to France as its culinary guiding light, adopting their bougie vernacular and cooking techniques. The infusion of these techniques into our own cuisine lends credibility to the dish, making it “correct” and “proper.”
I give credit to the French for their culinary contributions, while harboring a little resentment for forcing me to revisit my high school French classes (25 years ago!) so as not to sound foolish pronouncing terms like ‘mise en place.’
The industry’s constant gaze towards France left me unprepared and pleasantly surprised for an assignment received in Culinary School. We were to look to Africa, not France, to research and write about their cuisine.
Researching food sounds boring when you can eat it instead. I was in the mood for takeout as I was still in my pajamas, an added bonus for being a full-time remote employee.
‘Queen of Sheba’ has been a staple of the Louisville community since 2004 and serves authentic Ethiopian dishes to its legion of loyal customers. My wife and I moved to Louisville in 2018 and we have always wanted to try it. This assignment was a perfect opportunity to finally have a taste of Ethiopia right here in Louisville.
A unique blend of spices, called berbere, is a signature characteristic of Ethiopian food. This spice blend most commonly consists of ginger, coriander, cardamom, paprika, nutmeg, allspice, fenugreek, cloves, cinnamon, salt, and ground chilis. I ordered the ‘Meat and Vegetable Combination’ and noticed the unique spice blend immediately. It was slightly bitter with a touch of heat. Heat is a generous term, and perhaps a ‘pleasing warmth’ is a better fitting description.
The dish consists of four stewed dishes: Doro wot (chicken drumstick, lower right in the image above), Atakilt (cabbage in tomato sauce, lower left), Alicha Sega wot (beef stew, upper left), and Gomen wot (collard greens, upper right). It was served with a generous portion of injera (top), a flat bread used to scoop up the food to eat with your hands.
The food did have a very similar texture, but it is to be expected as they are all stews. Next time, and there will definitely be a next time, I will opt for other dishes to experience additional spice blends and textures.
My wife chose the ‘Vegetarian Combination,’ pictured below. Many Ethiopians identify as Orthodox Christian, which requires abstention from meat at least twice per week. This results in vegetable entrees in which the veggie is the star, versus a side dish as is common in Western cuisines. As a result, Ethiopian food is beloved by vegans and vegetarians around the world for this veggie-centric cooking style.
Overall, this is an easy recommendation for anyone who is new to African cuisine like myself or a seasoned foodie searching for authentic Ethiopian cuisine.
Contact Details:
Address: 2804 Taylorsville Rd, Louisville, KY 40205
Phone Number: 502-459-6301
Website: https://www.queenofshebalouisville.com/
A Foodie Destination - Louisville, Kentucky
I am proud of my adopted city and try to be an unofficial ambassador to the many and diverse culinary offerings it offers to both tourists and residents alike. I hope to share more places like ‘Queen of Sheba’ with my readers (and on YouTube too) to spread the word of a delicious and growing food scene that is both Southern and Midwestern, while offering global options as well.