The Coffee ceremony is one of the most recognizable parts of Eritrean, and Ethiopian culture. Coffee is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life. If coffee is politely declined then most likely tea (shai) will be served. The coffee is brewed by first roasting the green coffee beans over hot coals in a brazier. Once the beans are roasted each participant is given an opportunity to sample the aromatic smoke by wafting it towards them. This is followed by the grinding of the beans, traditionally in a wooden mortar and pestle. The culture of Ethiopia is very multi-faceted. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... Look up brazier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article describes the wood that comprises trees and boards. ... Mortar and pestle Mortar used to pulverise plant material with liquid nitrogen A mortar and pestle are a pair of tools used in conjunction with each other to grind and mix substances. ...

Brewing

The coffee grounds are then put into a special vessel and boiled. The boiling pot (jebena) is usually made of clay and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout and a handle where the neck connects with the base. When the coffee boils up through the neck it is poured in and out of another container to cool it, and then is put back into the boiling pot until it happens again. To pour the coffee from the boiling pot, a filter made from horsehair or other material is placed in the spout of the boiling pot to prevent the grounds from escaping. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... A human neck. ... Horsehair refers to hair taken from the mane or tail of horses. ...

Serving

An Eritrean woman pouring traditionally brewed coffee into finjal from a jebena.

The host pours the coffee for all participants by moving the tilted boiling pot over a tray with small, handleless cups without stop until each cup is full. Some of the coffee will inevitably miss the cup but this is done to prevent the coffee grounds from contaminating the brew. One extra cup is poured each time. The grounds are brewed three times: the first round of coffee is called awel, the second kale'i and the third bereka ('to be blessed'). The coffee ceremony may also include burning of various traditional incense such as frankincense or gum arabic. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic, or aesthetic purposes as it smolders. ... 100g of frankincense resin. ... Acacia senegal plant from Koehlers Medicinal-Plants 1887 Gum arabic, a natural gum also called gum acacia, is a substance that is taken from two sub-Saharan species of the acacia tree, Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. ...

See also

• Cuisine of Eritrea
• Culture of Eritrea
• Cuisine of Ethiopia
• Culture of Ethiopia

This meal is typical of Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... The culture of Ethiopia is very multi-faceted. ...

External links

• Eating and Drinking in Ethiopia