Coffee Ceremony

As mentioned earlier, coffee was originated in Ethiopia and plays a very central role in the Ethiopian culture.  They don't just serve coffee...they present a coffee ceremony.

The ceremony involves a little table filled with small ceramic cups that look like mini bowls.  Off to the side is a little barbecue filled with  charcoal. 

Coffee ceremony set-up outdoors at Alemgena.

Coffee ceremony set-up at the home of friends Jeri and Abiy.

The woman making the coffee sits in front of the table with the barbecue off to her side.  She roasts the fresh coffee beans and fans the charcoal on the small barbecue.  On a second small barbecue she boils water in a ceramic jug.  A third barbecue is used to burn incense.  This fills the house or restaurant with a smokey haze and an amazing aroma.  

There are baskets surrounding the table and cups.  One basket always has popcorn, which is also believed to have originated in Ethiopia.  The others contain herbs and spices like cloves, cinnamon and cardamom which are added to the coffee.

The beautiful Jeri at home, where she served us coffee in a wonderful aromatic haze.

Once the coffee is roasted the beans are ground with a mortar and pestle.  The ground coffee is then added to the ceramic jug of hot water.  After brewing, a small amount is poured into one cup, which is then transferred back into the jug once it is determined the coffee is ready.  A full cup is then poured, and the liquid contents of that cup are transferred to a 2nd and 3rd cup.  This process of pouring from one cup to another continues.  I believe this is to remove the grinds and collect the majority of grinds in one of the cups.

Coffee ceremony for hundreds of people at Yod Abyssinia Restaurant.

Coffee is served black in the small cups with raw sugar and a sprig of leaf from a plant called "Adam's Healer" - it helps with tummy troubles.  The coffee is very, very strong!

Quite often the coffee is served as a macchiato, which I guess is one positive effect of the Italian invasion on Ethiopia.  The quality of the macchiato makes up for the lacking pizza!

Fresh coffee macchiato and a sprig of Adam's Healer.