Ethiopia, Coffee and InjeraBywww.BuyOrganicCoffee.org

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

Meal with Injera Bread

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Coffee was discovered in the East African country of Ethiopia by a man tending his goats (which become so energetic after eating beans from the plant that they did not sleep at night).

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Although coffee has certainly moved on from the highlands of Ethiopia and adjacent Eritrea coffee is still part of the culture.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/When guests arrive at a traditional home in Ethiopia or Eritrea it is common to sit around a low table, make and drink coffee and eat various meats, fruits and vegetable wrapped in Injera bread.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/CulinaryLore.com tells us about Injera.

Injera (or engera) is a large, flat crepe-like spongy bread that is a staple source of carbohydrates in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is made from tef (or teff), a millet-like grain native to Ethiopia.

The large pieces of spongy bread serves as both the dish for meals, which is used for a variety of different stews or sauces, especially wat, Ethiopia’s spicy, and sometimes fiery, curry-like stew.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Injera is popular in Ethiopia and among Ethiopian and Eritrean expats across the world.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/In addition it is popular with individuals who cannot eat wheat products containing the protein gluten. The teff flour from which Injera is made is gluten free!

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Injera is a spongy kind of sourdough bread made from teff grass, the preferred grain of Northeast Africa.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/When eating at a traditional Ethiopian mean one tears off a section of Injera and uses it to pick up food from the platter, wrapping the food with the Injera like with a taco and then eating.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Coffee in traditional Ethiopian setting is made at the table.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Making coffee in Ethiopia is referred to as the coffee ceremony according to epicurean.com.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/In a world where time has long become a commodity, the Ethiopian coffee ceremony takes us back to a time when value was given to conversation and human relations. Perhaps an ancient proverb best describes the place of coffee in Ethiopian life, "Buna dabo naw", which when translated means "Coffee is our bread!"

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/The roasting of the coffee beans is done in a flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove, the pungent smell mingling with the heady scent of incense that is always burned during the ceremony. The lady who is conducting the ceremony gently washes a handful of coffee beans on the heated pan, then stirs and shakes the husks away.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/When the coffee beans have turned black and shining and the aromatic oil is coaxed out of them, they are ground by a pestle and a long handled mortar. The ground coffee is slowly stirred into the black clay coffee pot locally known as 'jebena', which is round at the bottom with a straw lid. The lady finally serves the coffee in tiny china cups to her family, friends and neighbors who have waited and watched the procedure for the past half-hour.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Drinking coffee in Ethiopia is a social event along with eating Injera bread. Coffee is not only part of the eating culture in Ethiopia it is an integral part of the economy.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/

Ethiopian Coffee

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/The birthplace of coffee is still a producer of high quality Arabica coffee.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Ethiopia grows wild and can be harvested directly from forests.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Alternatively farmers thin the forest canopy in order to increase production but still produce shade grown coffee.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Like in Colombia coffee is grown everywhere including in the back yard where it is referred to as garden coffee.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/And there are coffee plantations where regular coffee is produced on an industrial scale. Ethiopian Specialty Coffee describes these levels of Ethiopian coffee production.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/There are four types of production systems in Ethiopia: forest coffee, semi- forest coffee, garden coffee and plantation coffee. 95% of the coffee production from these systems can be considered as organic, although not yet officially certified.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1504/ethiopia-coffee-and-injera/Ethiopia is the number three producer of Arabica coffee behind Brazil and Colombia.