View source for Mesob

{{Short description|Basket used to store injera}}
[[File:Harar Mesob.jpg|alt=Original Harari mesob|thumb|Original Harari Mesob]]
'''Mesob''' ([[Amharic]]: መሶብ) or '''Harar Mesob''' is a [[Harari people|Harari]] [[basket]] used for storing [[injera]], an Ethiopian and Eritrean flatbread.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shinn |first1=David |title=Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia |date=29 March 2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=198 |isbn=9780810865662 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ep7__RWqq4IC&dq=mesob+harari&pg=PA198}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Berg |first1=Elizabeth |title=Ethiopia |date=2000 |publisher=G. Stevens |page=33 |isbn=9780836823240 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yb5ZQyLWQaQC&q=mesob+harari}}</ref> It is widely depicted as a cultural symbol for [[Ethiopia]], made from locally grown and partially dyed grass and palm leaves known for strength and durability.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Traditional Injera Mesob Ethiopian Eritrean Household - The Habesha Web |url=https://www.thehabeshaweb.com/product/traditional-injera-mesob-ethiopian-eritrean-household/ |access-date=2022-09-13 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=13 September 2022 |title=Injera (An Ethnic, Traditional Staple Food of Ethiopia): A review on Traditional Practice to Scientific Developments |doi=10.1186/s42779-020-00069-x |url=https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s42779-020-00069-x.pdf|last1=Neela |first1=Satheesh |last2=Fanta |first2=Solomon Workneh |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |volume=7 |s2cid=221824144 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
==History==
In a certain form Mesob was identified in [[Ethiopian Empire|Abyssinia]] as early as the sixteenth century as reported by [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] explorer [[Francisco Álvares]] however the most prominent Mesob is of [[Harar]] origin.<ref>{{cite book |title=Basketry |publisher=Encyclopedia Aethiopica |url=https://en.sewasew.com/p/basketry}}</ref> In the mid 1970s Amharas began recruiting Harari artisans to develop a particular Mesob which incorporated Abyssinian and Harari designs, this variety would dominate Mesob productions in Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tarsitani |first1=Belle |title=Revered vessels: custom and innovation in Harari basketry |publisher=MIT Press Journals |page=73 |url=https://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-abstract/42/1/64/54517/Revered-Vessels-Custom-and-Innovation-in-Harari?redirectedFrom=fulltext}}</ref>
[[File:The famous Harar mesob.jpg|thumb|221x221px|The original Harar Mesob, made by the [[Harari people]].]]
==In popular culture==
Although generally described as Ethiopian, mesob baskets belong to a larger tradition of [[Harari people|Harari]] basketry. A mesob is depicted on the 10 [[Ethiopian birr|birr]] note. Mesob baskets are used in funeral ceremonies to support family of the deceased person and the baskets are widely viewed as a symbolical representation of [[Culture of Ethiopia|Ethiopian]] and [[Culture of Eritrea|Eritrean]] culture and their cuisine.<ref name=":0" />The [[Harar]] mesob is known to be a quality mesob with very complex and prized designs. Today, it is very rare to find old original [[Harari people|Harari]] mesobs, because peoples are making more simplified and lower quality Ethiopian models.
==References==
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[[Category:Culture of Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Culture of Eritrea]]
[[Category:Ethiopian cuisine]]
[[Category:Eritrean cuisine]]
[[Category:Kitchenware]]