Coffee Historical Origin Development Culture Ethiopian Coffee Culture Coffee Origin Myth

Coffee was first found in the Kaffa region of southwestern Ethiopia, and it is said that a shepherd named Kaldi found that his goat behaved strangely after eating cherries he found growing on a tree there. Kaldi personally tasted the cherries and shared them with his neighbors, who all felt a similar effect and were significantly more energetic.

The most popular coffee legend in Ethiopia usually goes like this: Kaldi, an Abyssinian goat herdsman from Kafa, is grazing his goats through the highlands near the monastery. Noticing their strange behavior that day, he began to jump about excitedly, shouting loudly, almost dancing on his hind legs. He found that the source of excitement was a small shrub with bright red berries (or, in some legends, a small cluster of shrubs). Curiosity occupied his heart, and he tried the berries himself.

Ethiopian coffee expression

Perhaps one of the clearest reflections of coffee's role in Ethiopian culture is its language. Boutique coffee plays a deep-rooted role in Ethiopian culture, appearing in many expressions related to life, food and relationships.

A common term for Ethiopian coffee is "Buna dabo naw". This literally means "coffee is our bread". It shows the central role of coffee in diet and the importance of coffee as a food source.

Another common expression is "Buna Tetu". This is an Amharic phrase, which literally means "drink coffee". It applies not only to the act of drinking coffee, but also to interacting with others, just as people use the phrase "meet for coffee" in English.

If someone says, "I have no one to drink coffee with," it doesn't mean literally, but assumes that the person doesn't have a good friend to talk to. This is closely related to the huge social role played by coffee consumption in Ethiopia and the fact that people often get together for coffee conversations covering daily life, gossip and deeper issues. Similarly, if someone says, "Don't let your name be noticed while drinking coffee," they mean that you should pay attention to your reputation and avoid becoming the subject of negative gossip.

Ethiopian Coffee Legend

The most popular coffee legend in Ethiopia usually goes like this: Kaldi, an Abyssinian goat herdsman from Kafa, is grazing his goats through the highlands near the monastery. Noticing their strange behavior that day, he began to jump about excitedly, shouting loudly, almost dancing on his hind legs. He found that the source of excitement was a small shrub with bright red berries (or, in some legends, a small cluster of shrubs). Curiosity occupied his heart, and he tried the berries himself.

Like his goat, Kaldi felt the vitality of the coffee cherry. After filling his pocket with red berries, he rushed home to see his wife, who suggested that he go to a nearby monastery to share the "godsend" berries with monks there.

After arriving at the monastery, Kaldi's coffee beans were not ecstatic, but dismissive. A monk called Kaldi's reward "the devil's masterpiece" and threw it into the fire. However, according to legend, the aroma of baked beans is enough for monks to give this new thing a second chance. They take coffee beans out of the fire, crush them to extinguish the hot embers, and cover them with hot water in a kettle to preserve them (or so the story goes).

All the monks in the temple smelled the aroma of coffee and came to try it. Like Buddhist monks who drink tea in China and Japan, these monks find that the refreshing effect of coffee helps them stay awake during their spiritual practice (in this case, prayer and piety). They swore that from then on, they would drink this newly discovered drink every day to help their religious beliefs.

There is an alternative myth of the origin of coffee, which attributes the discovery of coffee to a very devout Muslim man named Sheikh Omar, who lived in seclusion in Moka, Yemen.

Ethiopian Coffee ceremony

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is at the heart of many Ethiopian village communities. You can read more about the Ethiopian Coffee ceremony.

The etymology of coffee

In the local language, the word coffee is "bunn" or "buna". The origin of coffee is Kafa. As a result, coffee is sometimes called "Kaffa bunn", or coffee from Kaffa. For this reason, some people think that the word "coffee bean" is the English version of "Kaffa bunn". Given that coffee beans are actually berries, this theory makes more sense.