Meanings
- uncountableA spice mixture, usually consisting of chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, and other spices, which is used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine.
Food in Ethiopia is always seasoned with berberè, a kind of pimiento.
1939, Ferdinando Quaranta di San Severino, Ethiopia, an empire in the making, page 162 more examples
Wat is a sauce composed of legumes, including horsebeans, chickpeas, kidneybeans, and lentils pounded to a flour, and mixed with spices. First berbere (red pepper) is dried and ground, then mixed with onions and butter, thus forming a thick cream.
1958, The Journal of Tropical Pediatrics and African Child HealthIn Ethiopia, a volcanic pepper and spice seasoning, berbere, is widely used, and the stews called wats are eaten with a spongy flat bread, injera.
1987 July 29, Steven Barboza, “Culinary Delights of Africa Reflect a Continent's Diversity”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Origin
- tiበርበረ
- Amharicበርበሬ
- Englishberbere
From Amharic በርበሬ (bärbäre) and/or Tigrinya በርበረ (bärbärä).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
berbere. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/berbere
“berbere.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/berbere. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “berbere,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/berbere.
Source: berbere on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.