240881 - Old Traditional rare Gurage Injera dish bowl or tray - Ethiopia.

Old Gurage Injera dish bowl or tray from Ethiopia.
Size are; diameter 40 cm x 15 cm high.

A beautifully designed huge Gurage Injera dish bowl or tray, the bowl on the underside is decorated with incised marks of Coptic Christian geometric design. The underside of the main lip of the tray/bowl has a lovely patina with the ruby ​​of the wood, some wear has bought up and marks due to age and wear.

This is a beautifully hand carved huge antique Gurage tribe Injera serving platter bowl like tray which was made from a single piece of wood from the Sholla’ tree and this specimen was collected from Ethiopia, Africa.

The bottom side of this Gurage made antique injera tray is plain and does have some water staining marks from apparently also being used as a table. The carved bowl side of this platter which is the area used to present and serve the injera along with the accompanying stews, salads and condiments is decorated with geometric designs on all surfaces and also has a Coptic Christian Cross design in the center of the bowl.

These Injera serving platters would traditionally be gifted to the woman of the household from her husband and these platters have deep meaning and are a sign of pride in all Ethiopian households. Injera, sometimes spelled enjera or also called taita is a thin airy large flat bread made out of teff flour mixed with water.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea traditional injera bread is eaten daily in virtually every household. It is served with a variety of stews, salads and condiments and more injera rolls called injera firfir which are all placed on a flat layer of injera for serving and is eaten as a shared meal from the one serving vessel. Using only the right hand small pieces of injera are torn and used to grasp the stews and salads for eating.

The injera under the stews soaks up the juices and flavors of the foods, and after the stews and salads are gone, the bottom injera bread is also consumed. Injera is thus simultaneously a food, eating utensil, and plate. When the entire "tablecloth" of injera is gone, the meal is over. The Injera meal is always presented with much flair and pride in the display and the serving container adds a lot to this presentation. Mostly these Injera meals are served in baskets but wooden injera tables like this one are the highest level of presentation for these traditional meals and are rare to find now.

This hand carved antique huge Gurage tribe injera serving platter bowl like tray is in great condition with assorted surface patina.