Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony — Addis Ababa
152.80 £
An Ethiopian coffee ceremony photographed in an Addis Ababa home — the green coffee beans roasted on a flat pan over charcoal, the incense smoke rising, the small ceramic jebena pot on the stand, the ceremony host in white habesha dress.
Description
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony — buna — is the most important social ritual in Ethiopian culture, conducted daily in homes throughout the country and at all major social gatherings. The ceremony proceeds in three stages: the green coffee beans are first washed and roasted over charcoal in a flat pan (mtad) while incense burns, filling the room with frankincense smoke; the roasted beans are ground with a wooden mortar and pestle; and the grounds are brewed in the jebena — a traditional clay pot — and served in small handle-less cups (cini). Three successive brewings are served — abol, tona, and bereka — each progressively weaker, the third considered a spiritual blessing. This photograph was made during a family ceremony in a home in Addis Ababa’s Piassa neighbourhood, in available room light supplemented by a single window. The incense smoke is visible as a light haze that softens the background.
