The Beta Israel community — Ethiopian Jews — maintained a distinct Jewish religious and cultural tradition in the Amhara and Tigray regions of Ethiopia for centuries, practicing Judaism based on the Orit, the Ge’ez-language version of the Hebrew Bible, without access to the Talmud or later rabbinic texts. Their religious practice developed separately from mainstream rabbinic Judaism and includes distinct holidays, prayer traditions, and food laws that differ in some respects from Ashkenazi or Sephardic practice. Sigd, a Beta Israel holiday observed 50 days after Yom Kippur, involves fasting, communal prayer, and a festive meal — it was recognized as an official Israeli holiday in 2008.

Ethiopian food tradition broadly, and Beta Israel food specifically, is built on injera — a spongy sourdough flatbread made from teff flour — which functions as both plate and utensil. Sweet preparations in Beta Israel tradition are tied to specific religious occasions rather than daily consumption. Dabo is a honey and spice-enriched bread prepared for Shabbat, holidays, and celebrations — it differs from everyday injera in its sweetness, enrichment, and the significance of its preparation. Tej — Ethiopian honey wine — is consumed at celebrations and has religious significance in Beta Israel practice, made from honey and gesho, a bitter buckthorn plant used as a bittering agent.

The Beta Israel community underwent two major airlifts to Israel — Operation Moses in 1984-85, which brought approximately 8,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, and Operation Solomon in 1991, which airlifted nearly 15,000 people in 36 hours. These operations followed periods of persecution and famine in Ethiopia. The transition to Israeli society involved significant cultural disruption, and Beta Israel food traditions have been maintained, adapted, and in some cases lost as the community navigates integration while preserving distinct identity.

In Israel, Beta Israel food culture including dabo and tej has gained broader visibility, with Ethiopian Israeli restaurants and community celebrations introducing these preparations to wider audiences. The community continues to observe Sigd annually in Jerusalem, where the traditional foods associated with the holiday are prepared and shared.