Teff is the star ingredient of Ethiopian cuisine and it’s essential for the  delicious chechebsca, a traditional breakfast dish in the country. This small grain can withstand harsh climate conditions and is mostly produced in the Horn of Africa. However, political and economic instability in Ethiopia has limited the country’s ability to benefit from its production. Aggravating the situation is the issue of biopiracy, a topic we delve into in this episode.

In Ethiopia, we meet Yonas Alemu to  discover his business Love Grass. Put on your headphones to discover how the company wants to modernize teff production and restore the grain to its origins. 

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Naira Davlashyan, Aisling Ní Chúláin and Marta Rodriguez Martinez, in Lyon, France. 

Our assistant producer is Alice Carnevali. 

Original reporting by Suad Ahmed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Consulting editor: Catalina May

Solutions journalism consultant: Michèle Foin. 

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Sound design is by Naira Davlashyan, sound mixing is by Hugo Pouillard.

Production coordinator:Louise Lehec 

Editor-in-chief : Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.