Earlier in the month I visited Addis for some consulting work. On my return, I was planning on bringing back several kilos of Ethiopia's best culinary items: home grown and roasted coffee, shiro (powdered chickpeas), and berebere spice. I was unsure the legality of it, and the coffee had a strong smell, so I was a bit cautious (even having brought the same stuff home previously). When I went through the secondary screening to get to the gates, the x-ray attendant stopped me and asked what was in my bag. I actually thought the coffee would be more of a risk so I said it was spices. He immediately grabbed my bag and began pulling all the stuff out. He pulled the coffee (in household plastic bags) and said no problem. Then he pulled the shiro and also set it said and said it was okay. But, it was the berbere spice that he confiscated from me. I thought maybe the smell would be why it was restricted and argued that the coffee that he said was okay was more odorous. After lots of questions, he told me it was not allowed because it was considered a weapon. Long story short, after lots of negotiating and working with the gate agent, I was able to keep the berebere spice as long as I gate checked my bag.
End of the day, it was more of an inconvenience than anything, but I still chuckle when I think of Ethiopian Spice as a weapon. Since I often pick up local spices wherever I travel, I guess I am more of a threat to the airline industry than I ever imagined. Good info to know though for the future.
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Re: Spice as a weapon on ET flights
It's probably the chili in the berbere -- that stuff can be quite disabling (and it's one of the reasons why its active compound is an ingredient in pepper spray).
Re: Spice as a weapon on ET flights
I guess I understand the principle, although the application seems a bit odd. Pepper spray has the capsaicin liquidified and then modified for easy distribution. Many things have capsaicin in them. Could I bring on Tony's cajun seasoning? What about black pepper? Dried whole chili peppers? I mean ET serves dora wat to business class that is made from berbere. Is that a weapon?
The ET website lists the following as prohibited:
I assume they consider it as an "offensive or irritating material" but the same could be said about a Justin Beiber CD, and I don't see those banned.
It is like when I got flagged at security in JNB because my son had put a fork in my carry on. It was confiscated as a weapon, but I had to laugh because as soon as I got on the plane and was served a meal, they gave me a metal fork and knife.
The ET website lists the following as prohibited:
Other dangerous articles such as magnetized materials, offensive or irritating materials as listed in the IATA Dangerous Articles Regulations.
I assume they consider it as an "offensive or irritating material" but the same could be said about a Justin Beiber CD, and I don't see those banned.
It is like when I got flagged at security in JNB because my son had put a fork in my carry on. It was confiscated as a weapon, but I had to laugh because as soon as I got on the plane and was served a meal, they gave me a metal fork and knife.
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