One of the world’s oldest countries, the African nation of Ethiopia has existed for thousands of years. Though it has often been beset with drought, famine, and other struggles, it is a proud country with a unique and thriving culture. Readers will trace Ethiopia’s history from its earliest days to the present. Along the way, they will find out what life is like in Ethiopia, what kinds of plants and animals are found there, and more.
Pictured above is my favorite book of the month for #FOODANDLIT.
I learned so much reading this book
and it lead me to search other books and information.
It is written just beautifully.
Passover Community: Ethiopia
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ethiopian-art-has-secured-its-spot-on-the-worlds-stage/index.html
COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE
The Birthplace of Coffee
Abyssenia, now modern day Ethiopia, is considered the place where coffee originated. Based on ancient Ethiopian history, the story goes something like this…
Around the year 850, there was a goatherd by the name of Kaldi. It is said that he is the one responsible for discovering the now infamous plant and introducing it to Abyssenian culture.
At his wife’s behest, Kaldi took the berries to some Monks in a monastery near Lake Tana.
Upon his arrival at the monastery, the goatherd presented the coffee berries to the head Monk as he ecstatically exclaimed the effect that these berries had; he’d never felt so elated in thought and body after trying one! The Monk grabbed the berries from Kaldi’s outstretched hand and threw them into the fire, deeming them the “Devil’s work”. You can guess what happened next…
Within moments, the chamber was filled with the smell of roasting coffee. This brought other Monks out to investigate what was making the indelible aroma.
Intrigued, the curious Monks raked the coffee beans from the fire and crushed them in order to put out the molten embers. The head Monk ordered hot water be poured over the now powdered coffee and…the rest is history, as they say. The Monks stayed up all night drinking this new concoction, vowing to always drink it in order to stay awake for their nocturnal devotions. News of this event spread, and soon coffee was consumed throughout the country.
Coffee was introduced to the trade world in 1454 when the Mufti of Aden visited Ethiopia and sampled the beverage. Claiming that the drink had cured him of some affliction, his approval carried so much weight amongst his men that soon word of mouth spread like wildfire- with these men introducing coffee to ports in Yemen and Mecca- and coffee was soon on the menu everywhere.
Ethiopia has been just wonderful.
Four months after the Ethiopian government declared victory over the rebellious Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), tens of thousands of Tigrayans are again being driven from their homes.
While reading about Ethiopia this month it was not lost on me the news centered around the people who live there.
I fell in love with this country and its people. I’ve highlighted a bit of what I’ve read and learned which is just vast , and way more than I have put in blog entries in this month.
On to Israel……..
