Why Don’t Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Eat Pork?

This article was written by the Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, the Center for Food and Bioconvergence, and the Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea.

The consumption of animal flesh food in Ethiopia has associated with cultural practices. Meat is a very important part of holidays and other important events, and it has a lot more cultural meaning than most other foods. Processing and cooking of poultry is a gender based duty and has socio-cultural roles. Ethiopians are dependent on limited types of animals for meats due to the taboo associated culturally. Also, eating meat and meat products is closely linked to religious beliefs and is affected by religions. The main religions in Ethiopia each have their own rules about what their followers should eat and how they should behave. They affect the consumption of meat products by telling people what animals can and cannot be used for food and by planning the days of the year so that consumption is limited at certain times. This, in turn, affects the way people in the country eat meat. In Ethiopia, it is common to kill a cow or an ox just to sell the meat in the community. Kircha is a cultural practice in which a cow or ox is killed and the meat is shared among the group. It is often done on special occasions and is a common way for people in rural areas to get meat.

People’s food habits are shaped by their beliefs, values, and the religious and environmental conditions they face. These are all the result of tradition, culture, and contacts (Onuorah and Ayo, 2003). Knowledge and culture affect the intake of a particular food (Asp, 1999). To really understand the culture of other countries or ethnic groups, you need to know about their rituals and ways of eating (Nam et al. , 2010). In developing countries, culture plays a crucial role in determining food patterns (Lahsaeizadeh, 2001). Kebede (2010) says that Ethiopia is unique because it has a lot of different cultural groups. The country’s people are from about 80 different ethnic groups, and their cultures are very different from each other. Each racial or ethnic group has its own culture, which can be seen in the foods they eat, how they live, the holidays they celebrate, the clothes they wear, and the dances they do in cities (Kebede, 2010).

It was indicated by Twigg (1984) that almost all cultures build their principal meal around meat. Meat has social significance in family gatherings, making friendships, prestige by offering dinners etc. (MAPP, 1994). The cultural significance of meat is much higher than that of most other foods in Ethiopia, where it plays a key role in important events. These include holidays, initiation rites and visitations by important guests (Kifleyesus, 2007). In Ethiopia, meat products are eaten on feast days and social events, according to Bea (1993). Most stews are made from chicken, beef, lamb, and mutton.

In Ethiopia, eating meat and poultry is linked to some unique cultural practices. For example, the people use the oldest and most culturally appropriate ways to preserve meat and make traditional dishes from it. Processing and cooking poultry is a gender-based duty and has social and cultural roles. Meat by-products are used to make traditional dishes, and the people can only get meat from a few types of animals because of cultural taboos.

It is true that the amount of meat people eat has been linked to their lifestyle, wealth, habits, religious beliefs, and awareness. Fashion, marketing and advertising also play a considerable part. First and foremost, cultural and religious factors have always been and still are very important in how meat is prepared and eaten (Borowski, 2007). Religious beliefs also affect how people act in social situations. For example, differences in religious beliefs can affect how people live, what they choose, what they eat, and who they hang out with (Kim et al. , 2004).

Ethiopians follow a wide range of religions. Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and Islam are the two main religions, but many ethnic groups also follow traditional animist religions, and there is a small but growing group of Christians who follow other Christian denominations (United Nations, 2004). Despite having different beliefs, Ethiopia’s religions have a big impact on meat and meat products because they affect what people eat and how they eat it, which in turn affects how much meat people eat in the country. So, this review will look at a number of factors, mostly religious beliefs and practices, that have big impacts on the eating of animal-based foods in Ethiopia, either for the better or for the worse.

Factors Affecting the Meat Consumption Culture

When religious beliefs come into play, it is most strictly forbidden to eat animal products, especially meat and meat products (Shatenstein and Ghadirian, 1997) It was suggested by Sheikh and Thomas (1994) that people’s religious groups will decide how they eat based on their religion…. Religious beliefs have a big impact on how people live, what they eat, who they hang out with, and the choices they make (Kim et al. They are built to tell a person what they can and cannot eat (Onuorah et al., 2004). , 2003). The way people in Ethiopia eat meat and meat products is closely linked to their religious beliefs and is affected by those beliefs.

In Ethiopia, according to CSA (2004), Christians generally represent 62. 8% of the population: 43. 5% Orthodox Christians, 18. 6% Protestant and 0. 7% Catholic. Muslims are 33. 9% of the population. The Animist, the traditional beliefs, accounts for the rest 2. 6%. Because each of Ethiopia’s main religions has its own rules about how to find out what its followers eat, it is very important to know how people’s eating habits relate to their religion. There are two ways that these mostly Ethiopian religions affect people’s meat consumption: the beliefs say which animals should be used for food and which ones shouldn’t, and the days of the year are marked by periods of rising and falling meat consumption.

Ethiopia’s main religious group, the Coptic Orthodox Church, has been telling people how to eat since the fourth century (Bea, 1993). Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians believe that people must fast from meat and dairy products for a whole year in order to get forgiveness for their sins. They also have to follow a strict schedule of prayers and atonement (Teklehaimanot, 2005). Therefore, followers do not eat meat and dairy products (i. e. egg, butter, milk, and cheese) on days when they were supposed to fast, like Wednesdays and Fridays, but not for 50 days after Easter, the Fast of the Prophets, the Fast of Nineveh, Lent, the Fast of the Apostles, or the Fast of the Holy Virgin Mary (Teklehaimanot, 2005). Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fast in the same way that other Orthodox Christians do, but they only do it about 250 days a year (Rakesh and Tafesse, 2010). Along with the country’s bad economy, this religious influence makes people eat less meat per person.

The three Ethiopia’s Christian sects such as Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic, 62. 8% of the world’s population practices ritual killing of animals in the name of the Trinity: Father God, Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Whereas, Muslim’s ritual slaughtering entails that the animal is killed in God’s name, “Allah”. Muslims and Christians have different ways of killing animals for religious purposes. Because of this, most of Ethiopia’s cities and towns have municipal abattoirs and slaughter houses that are built and run to serve both Muslims and Christians.

On the fasting days of Orthodox Christian followers, which accounts for 69. 27% of the Christian and 43. Except for the few owned by Muslims, most butchers don’t slaughter and serve animals that make up less than 5% of the population. When Christians stop killing animals, they usually don’t think about followers of other Christian sects, like protestant Christians, who don’t fast like Orthodox Christians do. According to Bea (1993), this is because Orthodox Christians rule the country. The Coptic Church of Ethiopia, on the other hand, has been the main religious group since the fourth century and has set many of the food traditions.

Avery’s (2004) case study, called “Red Meat and Poultry Production and Consumption in Ethiopia and Distribution in Addis Ababa,” showed that live animals bought at supermarkets or butcher shops are sent straight to the official Addis Ababa Abattoirs Enterprise, where they are killed by Orthodox, Muslim, or European facilities. The third service doesn’t include the local or citizens’ service because most Ethiopian slaughterhouses don’t offer it.

Orthodox Christians’ fasting affects meat consumption by lowering the supply. For example, among Protestant Christians, 7% of the population, children, people with medical conditions, and others are forced to limit or stop eating meat because of their fasting. According to Avery (2004), about 85. 3 percent of butcher shops in Addis Ababa were closed on Wednesday and Friday because of the traditional fasting of Orthodox Christians. This allowed them to sell an average of 13 5kg raw beef per week. According to Tewodros (2008), the times when there was little demand for beef meat were the same times that Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fasted. This is because slaughterhouses stop or cut back on their services when butcher shops stop asking them to kill cattle (Tewodros, 2008).

Like when people eat a lot of meat (Betru and Kawashima, 2009), when people don’t buy or eat many birds is when Orthodox Christians fast. This is especially true during the two-month pre-Easter fasting period in February and March. The other low sales and consumption period is during the pre-Christmas fasting period (Betru and Kawashima, 2009). Aklilu (2007) says that in northern Ethiopia, especially in Tigray, most strict Orthodox Christian households, especially those in rural areas, don’t eat animal products during the fasting periods for Easter and before Christmas, as well as on Wednesdays and Fridays. Different months of the year see changes in sales and consumption of both chicken and eggs (Betru and Kawashima, 2009).

In a nutshell, near 62. Because of their religious beliefs, about 8% of Ethiopia’s people, or all Christians, stop eating meat products every year on average for about 250 days. People who are Christians who eat meat should be killed by killing chickens at home, which is what most people do, or by illegally killing sheep, goats, and cattle in the backyards of some hotels, which is bad for meat quality and safety control in the country. Therefore, this system calls for the attention of Government in planning strategy and managing accordingly.

When it comes to eating, the demand and supply of fish go up when the demand and supply of meat and poultry go down, and the other way around. On days when Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox people fast and don’t eat meat, fish is a big deal because it’s not one of the dishes that aren’t allowed. During lent, for example, Christians who abstain from eating meat, milk and eggs consume fish. On days when people are fasting, they often eat fish and vegetarian meals made with stews made from peas, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, and different kinds of vegetables (Teklehaimanot, 2005).

Generally, there is a limited interest and habit of eating fish with Ethiopia’s people. It has not been integrated into the diet of most of the population. This is because it’s hard to get fish because there aren’t enough places to process and distribute it, and people’s religious beliefs affect how much they eat. The demand for fish is only seasonal. In fact, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians don’t limit the amount of fish they eat at any time of the year, even when they are fasting. However, Ethiopian people have related eating fish with fasting days. Kinsey (1988) says that religion is the main source of culture and sets the rules for life and often affects people’s attitudes. Because of this, most restaurants and butchers serve fish instead of meat. After fasting days, there will be more fish in the market than on any other day, which makes people choose fish as their main dish.

Because the way people eat fish is also affected by their culture and geography (Richard and Marcia, 2004), it won’t be easy to find fish other than on days that Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Christians fast, unless you’re in one of the country’s biggest cities, like Addis Ababa, Adama, Bahir Dare, Awassa, or Arba Minch, where there are lots of restaurants, supermarkets, and other places that sell fish. So, people whose culture’s main dish is fish or who like fish in their diet may be able to get more fish on the fasting days. Because of this, the religious influence on fish consumption can be seen in how followers change their access to fish and how they eat it on fasting days. Seasonal consumption of fish could be culture in the society. Some conservative Coptic Orthodox Christians also don’t eat fish on fasting days because they believe fish has blood, just like any other animal that isn’t allowed to be eaten these days.

As for the Ethiopian Muslim religion, there are no set times or seasons when certain animal products can’t be eaten. This doesn’t affect how followers of the religion choose to eat. The Muslim religion does, however, have an effect on beliefs, and one of these is the fact that animal flesh is not allowed to be eaten. The two main religions in Ethiopia are Islam and Christianity. Both of these religions have a big impact on the country’s food laws by limiting the consumption of certain types of animal meat. It is against their religious beliefs for both Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia to eat pork (Teklehaimanot, 2005). They have also types of meat animals they restrict independently.

People are actually not allowed to eat animal products, especially meat and meat products, when they are religiously motivated (Shatenstein and Ghadirian, 1997). Johanna (2009) wrote about the types of foods that the Koran and the Sunna tell Muslims they should and should not eat. For example, they say that Muslims should not eat pork, dead animals that are splattering blood, or foods that have been blessed by someone other than God. Arab scholar Abdullah (2004) says that Muslims can eat any food, except for foods that are specifically forbidden in Islam. g. , grains, vegetables, fish and meat). Following the ritual rule that all Muslim followers should not eat pork, as Johanna (2009) explained, Ethiopian Muslims, like Muslims around the world, don’t eat pork because it is considered “Haram,” which means “forbidden” food by the followers.

All Christian groups in Ethiopia follow the same rules about certain animal meats. These rules come from the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, which describes the animals that can be eaten. In order to be eaten as food, mammals must be ruminants and not have two fully split hooves. For birds, this means that their fingers must be fully split and not attached to each other. By relating with this stated religious belief, therefore, pig doesn’t fulfill the stated criteria. Because of this, Ethiopian Christians don’t eat pigs because it is “forbidden,” which is the same thing Muslims mean when they say “Haram.” Camels aren’t eaten by Ethiopian Christians because they don’t share the same religious beliefs that are used to choose animals for food.

An Ethiopian Muslim can eat camel meat without any problems as long as they follow the rules for their religion. Instead, camel meat is one of the “Halal” foods for Ethiopian Muslims, which literally means “lawful” or “permitted.” It is also loved by the followers, as long as the production states and agro-ecology of camel production don’t limit the supply and consumption.

Ethiopians eat chicken in a way that is deeply rooted in their culture. For example, the way they make their national dish, Doro wat, follows strict rules and is based on gender roles. Different parts of Ethiopia have different foods, but all Ethiopian women, no matter what religion they follow, learn how to make this traditional dish in a very specific way as a “rite of passage” (Natasha, 2011).

The chicken is halal or kosher slaughtered by men after having been blessed. Men are the ones who can kill animals, but women are the only ones who can cook them. Men are not allowed in the kitchen. A ‘proper’ lady knows how to cut a chicken into 12 perfect pieces (Janet et al. , 2013). When the blood is drained, according to Natasha (2011), women begin the laborious task of cleaning the carcass. The women then cut the chicken into 12 pieces. This is done very carefully so that every wing, leg, chest, thigh, back, and breast look exactly the same and there are no veins left. Of course, chicken in the West is processed before it is packed and can be bought at the store already cooked. Ethiopian women, however, buy the whole live chicken and cut it up in the traditional manner (Natasha, 2011).

In Ethiopians’ culture, a ‘proper’ lady needs to know how to cut a chicken into 12 perfect pieces. They are all named after dishes like Feresenga, which is a perfect cut of breast meat served to the man of the house. And it doesn’t matter how many chickens she uses; they all turn out the same shape. Plenty of jokes are made about a woman who can’t cut chicken right (Janet et al. , 2013). In Ethiopian culture, it is seen as a shame when a woman fails to cut a chicken into 12 perfect pieces and name each one.

Doro Wat is a saucy chicken stew which is served with Injera and boiled eggs. No matter what religion someone is, chicken is a “must” dish in Ethiopian culture for holidays and social events. Chicken plays also an important function in their bartering value. Poultry are used for strengthening marriage partnerships and social relationships. In the culture there, women who can cook men food like chicken dish (Doro wat) are seen as helping to keep the marriage stable. Another reason to serve Doro Wat is to show respect for guests. This builds social relationships, which is especially important for poor households (Demeke, 2008).

People in Ethiopia usually choose the types of chicken they want to eat. Most people prefer to buy local chickens from village farmers because they think they taste better and are better for making the traditional chicken sauce (Doro Wat). Eggs from local chicken are often favored because of their deep yellow colored yolks.

Because of the cultural taboo around chicken, the price of live birds changes based on their gender, color, and size (Betru and Kawashima, 2009). As a general rule, many people prefer double-comb chickens or the unique colors of native birds that are used for sacrifice (Avery, 2004). Because of this, most farmers choose to keep native birds with certain feather colors, especially the white (Netch) and red (Key) colors, because they sell for more money in the local market. According to market research, this is mostly because people like rose (double comb) type of chicken because it has cultural value.

There is no religious advice on what kind of chicken should be used for sacrifices based on the religious holidays that are celebrated, but most people connect the color of the chickens’ feathers with the religious holidays because it is considered rude to do otherwise. For example, for the Ethiopian New Year (Zemen melewecha) and the Orthodox Christians’ Meskel (Finding of the True Cross) holidays, people like native chickens with white (Netch) feathers and double combs. For the Ethiopian Christians’ Fasika (Easter) holiday, people like native chickens with red (Key) feathers and double combs. People who follow traditional beliefs sometimes choose black-pecked chickens (called Tikur) to sacrifice because killing white chickens is seen as inappropriate in their culture.

In Ethiopia, it is legal to kill a cow or an ox just to sell the meat in the community. On holidays and special occasions, people have a ceremony called kircha where they kill cows or oxen (but not other animals) and share the meat with the group. This is a common way to get meat in rural areas where it can be hard to find. Most of the time, 10 to 20 people buy a live animal, kill it, and then split the meat among themselves. Kircha is a way for people to get together and share meat. It involves killing a live animal and then sharing the meat as a group. Kircha is considered by Ethiopians as their social capital. This style is also common in some towns in Ethiopia, and the older people really enjoy taking part in the activity.

When the holidays come around, neighbors get together to buy a big ox and divide it evenly. Then, they draw lots to see which pile they get. It is cheaper than going to the butcher (Janet et al. , 2013). According to Kifleyesus (2007), the meat is split into equal portions that include all of the cooked organs, muscle meat, and bones of the live animal. Size of the package is determined by the number of divisions (Pankhurst, 1988). The greater the number of divisions, the smaller will be the size of a package of meat.

Why I Don’t Eat Pork!

FAQ

Why do Ethiopian Orthodox not eat pork?

What are Ethiopian Orthodox not allowed to eat?

Why do Eritreans not eat pork?

What religion Cannot eat pork?

Can Ethiopian Orthodox eat pork?

The prohibition against pork consumption in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is based on a passage in the Old Testament of the Bible. Deuteronomy 14:8 states that “the pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.”

Do Ethiopian Christians eat meat?

According to the belief of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians, the faithful must abstain from eating meat and dairy products to attain forgiveness of sins committed during the year, and undergo a rigorous schedule of prayers and atonement ( Teklehaimanot, 2005 ).

How does religion affect meat consumption in Ethiopia?

Varying in their beliefs, Ethiopia’s religions have a significant role to play on consumption of meat and meat products by setting the feeding habits and customs of the people which in turn influences the pattern of meat consumption in the country.

Do orthodox eat pork?

But many Orthodox today do not strictly follow fasting guidelines, so pork avoidance varies individually. Overall, the Orthodox approach focuses more on spiritual discipline than dogmatic food rules. Shellfish and other foods are also restricted during fasts.