Ethiopia And The Magic Of Coffee: What We Don't Know About Our Favorite Drink

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of the coffee tree and the culture associated with the black drink. It is believed that coffee was discovered in many countries in the ninth century. Today, more than 12 million people in Ethiopia are involved in growing and picking coffee, and it remains a central part of Ethiopian culture.

Coffee plays a strong role in Ethiopian life, which manifests itself in many aspects related to life, food and interpersonal relationships.

An ordinary Ethiopian coffee is Buna dabo naw. This literally translates as Coffee is our bread. The phrase demonstrates the central role that coffee plays in nutrition. It illustrates the level of importance that is placed on it as a source of livelihood.

If someone says: I have no one to share coffee with, it is not taken literally, but it is assumed that he does not have good friends whom he can trust.

Similarly, if someone says: Don't let your name be mentioned during coffee, it means that you should be careful about your reputation and avoid being the subject of negative gossip.

There are various legends about the origin of coffee. The most popular refers to Caldi, a goatherd from Kafa. He raised his goats in a high area near a monastery.

One day the man noticed that the goats were moving excitedly and almost dancing on their hind legs. After a short wonder, he discovered that the source of their excitement was a small bush with bright red fruits.

He tasted the fruit with curiosity. Like his goats, Caldi felt the energizing effect of these fruits. Then he filled his pockets with them and rushed home to his wife. She advised him to go to a nearby monastery to share these fruits sent from heaven with the monks there.

Upon his arrival at the convent, however, Caldi's coffee beans were not greeted with open arms, but with contempt. A monk called Caldi's discovery the Devil's Work and threw them into the fire.

However, according to legend, the aroma of roasted coffee was enough to make the monks give this novelty a second chance. They took the coffee out of the fire, crushed it to put it out, and covered it with water to keep it.

At that moment, all the monks from the monastery smelled the aroma of coffee and came to taste it. They found that the properties of coffee were conducive to keeping them awake during their spiritual practice. They promised that from then on they would drink this new drink every day to support their religious activities.

Although, according to the famous legend, coffee was discovered as an energizing drink, it is possible that it was chewed beforehand precisely because of its invigorating effect. However, it becomes especially popular when it begins to be taken in liquid form.

In some tribes, the fruits of the coffee tree are crushed and then left to ferment as wine. Elsewhere, they are baked, ground and then boiled in a decoction.

Gradually, the custom of making coffee persisted and spread everywhere. Around the thirteenth century, coffee spread to the Islamic world, where it was revered as a powerful medicine and brewed like herbs.

You can still find coffee-brewing traditions in Ethiopia, Turkey and the Mediterranean that are infinitely colorful and memorable.