Coffee

Ethiopian Epiphany was Friday. John and I walked to Main Street to take part in the celebrations.

We set out a little later than last year, so we missed the priests’ chanting and singing. But we were in time for the processions. Orthodox Christians were out in force, dressed in traditional clothing. Women looked lovely in white dresses with bright, embroidered trim. Many men wore white from head to toe or suits. Groups of people danced and sang in circles, sometimes around a drummer. Young men jumped and sang in groups. Sometimes boys got carried away and bumped other dancers, looking almost as if they were moshing.

John and I watched groups of priests lead processions to several different churches. One group of priests had six attendants and two red carpets. The fifteen priests would walk to the end of one carpet, then wait while their attendants scampered to place the second before their feet.

Orthodox churches are very peaceful places. The times I’ve attended with my neighbors, we’ve always sat outside in the courtyard, around the church. Trees in the courtyard are considered sacred, so some of the nicest collections of old and endemic trees surround churches. The ceremonies are ancient. They’re conducted in Geez, a Semitic language that was the official language of Ethiopia when it was Kingdom of Auxum (~100-940 AD). Geez is no longer spoken except in liturgy. Whereas Protestant masses are in the local language; they’re more yelling and shouting “Hallelujah!”

All Christian holidays in Metu share some common factors: celebrants dress up in their nicest clothes, go to church, and eat a meal with family and friends. In the days leading up to the holiday, shepherds roam Metu’s streets with herds of goats and sheep. Men stop to lift their tails and decide whether to take one home to slaughter. Shoppers at market hold bags of produce in one hand and an upside down chicken in the other. Chickens calm down completely when they’re upside down.

There are always coffee ceremonies. Coffee ceremonies are an everyday occurrence here, a major part of social life. At their fanciest, coffee ceremonies include popcorn and strewn grass to decorate the floor. At their simplest, coffee is served with a little bit of bread and no sugar.

Coffee ceremonies are a chance for families to get together and talk over everything. In Ethiopia, multi-generational families live together and spend lots of time with one another. Ethiopians definitely afford a lot of respect to their elders. When you boil coffee, you may also invite your neighbors or friends over. Coffee ceremonies hold people together, make them close.

John and I ran into a lot of friends at the Timkat/Epiphany celebrations. That was my favorite part of it all. Kassaye invited us to come over for coffee after everything was over.

Kassaye is one of my favorite people in Metu. He’s an English lecturer at the Teacher’s College where Sile works. I met Kassaye through her. Kassaye loves to laugh, or as he puts it, “explode into laughter.” Normally, when I go to Kassaye’s house, Dabash boils the coffee. Dabash is 18 years old, the younger sister of Kassaye’s best friend, McKonnen. McKonnen got a new English lecturing job at a College closer to his family, so he moved this past September. Kassaye acts as Dabash’s surrogate brother. When I first met Dabash, she was very quiet and shy. Now, she is poised and opinionated and Dabash and Kassaye laugh and bicker like real family.

When John and I arrived on Epiphany, only Kassaye was home. “Celeste, you’ll boil coffee today!” he said. It’s nice that we’ve gotten to the point in our friendship that Kassaye can invite me for coffee then have me make it!

Being able to boil a delicious cup of coffee is the mark of a real Ethiopian woman. I’ve boiled some coffee, but usually women friends take over, experts helping an amateur. There were no women around at the time, so Friday marked my first solo flight. Dabash and Mulu Kan arrived later and said my coffee was good. Phewf.

Boiling Ethiopian Coffee (Buna)

1) Wash coffee beans.

Rubbing the beans between your hands with some water helps get off the coffee skins and any dirt.

2) Roast coffee beans.

Roast beans on a small, flat, metal circular pan on a small charcoal stove. Move the beans around the pan with a spoon until they become dark brown-black and smell delicious. Transfer the beans into a small wooden bowl and allow everyone to sniff their aroma.

3) Put water on to boil in a metal teapot.

This is a shortcut many Ethiopian women use to reduce time spent boiling water.

4) Grind beans using a mortar and pestle.

5) Pour boiling water and finely ground coffee into a jabana, or traditional clay coffee pot. Put the jabana on to boil.

6) Light incense.

7) When steam begins to come from the jabana, take it off the charcoal. Allow the coffee to rest in the jabana for five minutes.

8) Serve coffee in small sinis, Ethiopian coffee cups. Add sugar, salt, or nothing (“empty” coffee). On special occasions, serve coffee with Ethiopian butter or milk.

9) Pass around buna course, some small snack. Buna course is most commonly bread.

Traditionally, there are three rounds of coffee drinking. Coffee is boiled three times and each person drinks a small cup of coffee during each round. Coffee grounds are only added before the coffee comes to boil in the jabana the first time.

Enjoy the brew and good company!