BY MULUGETA GUDETA
Last day I was passing by the Tomocca coffee shop which is located around Cathedral School a short distance from the right bend on Churchill Road and the strong aromatic flavor freshly roasted coffee reached my nostrils. Who on earth would not be moved by the flavor of coffee when they pass by that shop, if not enter the interior of what looks like an old coffee shop located in one of the old Italian occupation era building.
My personal experience of the smell of Tomocca coffee (this is not a brand name mind you!) was so moving that ideas came galloping to my mind and I started thinking where in the world such a pleasantly disturbing odor could be enjoyed if not in Ethiopia, home of the best coffee specie. The smell of coffee must be the best and most pleasant smell in the world. Tomocca is not a Starbucks.
I sometimes wonder why the world has not so far adopted Ethiopian coffee as the standard for coffee drinking so that the full flavor, mood and medical benefits could be enjoyed by lovers of the brown gold. It is a long time that Japan has offered the world one of its food of choice, namely sushi and its tea ceremony (I don’t know what they call it in Japanese). Japan did not invent the fish recipe or the tea leaf but Ethiopia discovered coffee and taught the world how it should be drank in order to feel its full effect and benefit from its hidden magic.
We should pay tribute to the young goat shepherd who one fine morning observed one of his goat grazing at a shrub and a moment later jump in the air as if it was seized by a sudden adrenaline surge. The shepherd must have told his parents about the incident and the following day he continued his observation on other goats and came to the conclusion that the shrub must have been the reason behind the goat’s elevated mood.
It was not the shrubs but the yellow beans on them that did the magic. Naturally he and his fellow shepherds must have tried the beans and experienced the same hilarious mood. He probably picked and chewed on the plant and its beans.
Some of the villagers presumably tasted the plant’s beans in some other way too, boiling them and drinking the liquid. They must have enjoyed the mood elevating and pleasant taste of the beans.
The practice of roasting, boiling and drinking the roasted and crushed beans quickly spread in the region and it was named after the place where it was first discovered- Kaffa. Its derivative “coffee” became the universal name of the newly discovered drink. Kaffa is now famous as the origin of coffee as Afar is famous as the origin of Lucy and humankind.
With time, coffee started to be the drink of choice in the entire country, probably crossed the Red Sea to find enthusiastic drinkers in the Arab world and its journey continued until it became a universal drink. Different types of coffee beans were then found in different countries but none of them have so far beaten what is called coffee Arabica, the Ethiopia brand.
Let us stop the brief historical description about the discovery of coffee and pass on to the Ethiopian coffee ceremony that has evolved through time to establish itself as the proper way of preparing and consuming coffee in order to get maximum pleasure from it.
The ceremony starts with the washing of the raw coffee beans and roasting them on a special flat metal tray that you put on the embers and wait until they become dark black or brown. The crackling sound coffee makes when it is roasted is pleasant to the ear.
The smoke that rises from the roasting coffee spreads the aroma around the house and even take it outside. Then you smash the roasted beans in a special wooden or metal container that you pound with a short wooden or iron bar until it becomes a fine powder.
Then you pour the smashed coffee beans into an earthen or clay container especially designed for boiling coffee. When the coffee boils it sends sweet smelling vapor into the air and then some of the coffee is ejected or pours out of the coffee pot and this is the sign that it is time to lift it off the fire and put it besides the white cups that are put in rows on a wooden vessel.
Sweet smelling incense and incense sticks are burning and the coffee is poured into the cups and served to the guests. The coffee woman says prayers before pouring the coffee into the cups. There is also a snack of bread or roasted beans or anything that goes with it served around to the guests before they drink the coffee.
Three rounds of coffee are served at the end of which blessings are said and the host is appreciated for the good taste of the coffee she prepared. By the way, preparing coffee is a woman’s exclusive task. At this point, the dominant mood among the gathered guests is one of joy, energetic talks, laughter and talkativeness. These are all the aftereffects of a couple of cups of coffee that makes the morning a time of enthusiasm and hope.
The coffee ceremony is a catalyst of social cohesion and social integration. Go to any Ethiopian household in any part of the country and you will be amazed not only by the diverse ways and styles coffee is prepared and served.
You will also be flabbergasted by the role coffee plays in bringing up neighbors, relatives near and far together in a harmonious interaction in which they share their ideas, gossips and strike deals or bring quarrels in households to peaceful resolution.
The coffee ceremony in Ethiopian households is perhaps the rare moment people speak their minds, share their thoughts, express their likes and dislikes and discuss the most important political and economic topics without fear of being spied on or heard by invisible ears.
An Ethiopian coffee ceremony is perhaps the only place where people feel free in the true meaning of the term from outside intrusion as well as trust each other.
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony serves as an opportunity for neighbors to come together and exchange the day’s gossips and crack jokes or use the occasion for reconciling neighbors that are in bad terms.
The social nature of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony is largely preserved to this day particularly in the rural areas although in urban settings people tend to enjoy the occasion in small family circles or alone.
There is also another spiritual side to the coffee ceremony which is used to pray for the gods or the good spirits and for the good health of the community and those who suffer from some form of illness.
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony has a psychologically healing effect on the consumers because it is the place where they tell the village or neighborhood healer what their troubles are and how they could get information on where to go to seek solace.
That could be taken as social psychoanalysis without Freud and Adler. The remedy ranges from a trip the holy water or to a clairvoyant, a village herbalist or a village healer. And many people are not disappointed.
For centuries, traditional healers did not enjoy the respect or appreciation they deserved despite their amazing knowledge of diseases and remedies simply because they either kept them secret of were considered mysterious phenomena by society. Most of them were ostracized or they led a reclusive life, unable to transfer their skills to the following generations.
Nowadays these healers are enjoying a very slow acceptance and visibility as many of them were disappointed with modern medicine that is often trying to heal the body and leave the mind or the spirit to its own design. Traditional healers’ approach is rather holistic, looking both at the body and the mind in their interactions.
In a country where the majority of people do not enjoy modern medical treatment, these people are relying on traditional healing methods that are getting slow but certain recognition. So, the Ethiopian coffee ceremony is an occasion for the exchange of information on mental illnesses and their remedies.
To your surprise, coffee itself is considered a powerful healer as many people find relief for nagging headaches, stomach ailments and other discomfort thanks to powerful hot cups of coffee they sip two or three times a day. Sometimes, coffee is served with sugar but most Ethiopians like it with salt or only black and strong.
Unfortunately, the Ethiopian coffee ceremony is something that is not yet fully studied and exploited. The outside world is not informed about the multidimensional benefits of coffee in Ethiopian cultures and traditions. This is a big subject that requires great commitment and hard work to be investigated as an anthropological, medical and sociological subject all together.
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony, like Ethiopian-born food grain teff and other primeval plants and needs to be studied, popularized and exploited. For now let us begin by calling on all coffee lovers to try it in the traditional Ethiopian way or a la Ethiopienne, as the French would say.
Strong coffee boiled in traditional pots plus burning incense plus a little snack to go with it plus fresh grass to be spread around the house-thi sis in short the recipe for Ethiopian coffee ceremony. It is simple, easy and immensely gratifying. Rest assured that you will not be disappointed.
One day we may build a museum for Ethiopian coffee where tourists will visit and see with their own eyes how the drink changed society and continues to play a central role in daily life across Ethiopia. How about organizing annual Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Festival where the coffee ceremonies the major nationalities of Ethiopia would be displayed for tourists who would come to savor and enjoy the coffee types and the various ceremonies involved in their making and drinking.
We may also have many places where coffee will be boiled and served the Ethiopian way, because this is something we can proudly offer to the world to enjoy as the Japanese have given us sushi or some other gastronomical choice.
The Ethiopian Herald December 11/2020
