Injera and Wat

Ethiopian cuisine is best known for the sourdough flatbread called injera. Injera is about 20 inches in diameter and made from fermented teff flour. Teff is called the world's smallest grain and is unique to Ethiopia. No Gluten !!  

But what is injera without wat?  Wat is the hot, spicy stew that is served on top of the injera.  There are lots of different varieties of wat: chicken, beef, lamb, vegetarian, lentils or ground split peas. If you order the restaurant's variety plate, you'll be sure to get a few kinds. Eat it with your fingers by tearing off a piece of injera and dipping it in the wat.​

Shiro:
Shiro might look like slop, but it's amazing!  Made with chickpea or bean puree', it's a vegetarians delight.  With added onion, garlic, and whatever spices are used in that region,  this simple dish  comes alive.

Gomen Kitfo:
For another vegetarian delicacy, gomen kitfo is made from collard greens that are boiled, dried, and then chopped and served with butter, chili peppers, and spices.

Tibs:
 There are many varieties of this dish depending on the type and size of cuts of meat used, but it's basically meat and vegetables saute'ed together.  Like in many Ethiopian dishes, the main spice used in tibs is berbere, a combination of powered chili pepper, cumin, coriander, and cardamon.
​

What is so special about Ethiopian Coffee? Ethiopian coffee is considered to be some of the best in the world, due to it's high altitude growing conditions and the ways that the beans can be processed.

The coffee plant averages from 5-10 meters in height and is grown in rows, several feet apart.  Heavy rain is needed as the fruit is developing, and less later as it ripens.  The harvesting period can be anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months, and in some places continuing all year round.

The coffee bean is a seed of the coffee plant and is the source of coffee.  It is the pit inside the red fruit, often referred to as a cherry.  The cherries began as green, turn yellow, and finally red in color. 

Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, is the world's seventh largest producer of coffee. Surprisingly, half the coffee produced there is consumed by the Ethiopians themselves!  Coffee is important to the Ethiopian economy as 15 million Ethiopians rely on some aspect of  coffee production for their livelihood. 

​There are 2 ways that Ethiopian coffee is processed to enhance it's flavor...….
Sun-dried: where the cherry is sun-dried around the coffee bean before being removed 
Washed:  where the fruit is removed from the bean within 12 hours of picking
​
So, support Ethiopian coffee.  Buy it; drink it; and be part of a rich history of tradition!

 The Big Buna Bash has been blessed with some great reviews from parenting blogs.  Here are a few of them:
​​
all-our-colors.com/multicultural-childrens-book-day/

booktrib.com/2020/02/building-bridges-with-coffee-in-the-big-buna-bash/?fbclid=IwAR1dlpdWHRo3wEO6QwltNnprXIJryBrChDHBdCSeesbmopy9VDXvTWQtKc0
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www.justabxmom.com/2020/02/24/february-bookshelf/

purposefulmommy.com/big-buna-bash/

https://parentinghealthy.com/the-big-buna-bash-childrens-book-celebrates-an-ethiopian-tradition/

www.instagram.com/p/B9Va8daAWxp/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8iVEn0gxKm/

christyscozycorners.com/2020/02/buna-bash-childrens-book-Arnold//

It is with a grateful heart that I say this!  After two weeks of pneumonia, I got back on my feet only a couple days before The Big Buna Bash Launch Party at Letena Restaurant.

That same week we did two more book events at Potter's House and Ethiopic Restaurant.

After event week, I appeared at two story times; one at East City Bookstore in D.C. and the other at Loyalty Bookstore in Silver Spring, Maryland.​

​I met SO many lovely people and want to thank the D.C. area Ethiopian community for their generous welcome!  

​​"Every book is not for every child, but for every child there is a book." 
     Bianca Schulze

The holiday season is upon us and books can be great Christmas/ Hannuka gifts for children everywhere!  When you give a child a book, you're giving him the opportunity to get acquainted with different people and places,  You are helping  expand his vocabulary and stimulating his  imagination.  

We choose books that match the child's learning and interest levels.  Books can only educate, nurture, and entertain kids if they are age appropriate.

For younger children, books can be used to learn basic concepts like letters and colors, or just for fun!

For elementary students, a book should improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Will they understand what they're reading?  Do they know most of the words?

Will the book interest them?  Will they want to read it?

Remember.....the younger the child is, the more connected the book should be to his life!

Being the author of a diverse children's book, I love books that celebrate differences.  Here are some gift suggestions of fun books with a deep message, 

AGES: 0-3
Dream Big Little One           by Vashi Harrison   
This is a very positive board book with beautiful illustrations and a clear message.  It introduces inspirational black women who have made history.
 
AGES: Pre-school and up
Mixed: A Colorful Story       by Arree Chung
This book is fun.  It has bright colors and a straightforward approach to confronting discrimination and celebrating acceptance for differences. It's suitable for 4-5 year olds but older children will enjoy it too.

AGES: 5-8
The Big Buna Bash               by Sara Arnold
This little story is sweet and non-threatening. Almaz, an Ethiopian/American first-grader, finds a way to make friends using her cultural traditions.  The Big Buna Bash is about the healing that occurs when there is understanding!

AGES: 9-11
Harbor Me                            by Jacqueline Woodson
Six kids meet up for a weekly chat and during the bonding process find courage and  mutual growth.  Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

All these books can be found on Amazon   www.amazon.com/books

​HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY READING!!

Here it is...my long-awaited book trailer!  I hope you like it as much as I do.. please share with your friends.....

Do you know how the coffee bean was first discovered?

The legend goes something like this!

In the northern region of Ethiopia there lived a young goat herder named Kaldi, who had very well-behaved goats.  He never had to worry about them.

One day some of his goats were behaving strangely.  They were prancing around, kicking in the air.....they looked like they were dancing.  This was highly unusual!

Curious, Kaldi explored the place where the goats had been grazing and discovered unique red berries growing on a bush with shiny leaves.  He had never seen a plant like this before!  He tasted the fruit and was SO energized that he danced excitedly alongside his goats.

Just then, a couple of monks passed by on their way to prayers.  Kaldi gave them some of the berries.  After nibbling on them, the monks found that they also felt a sense of elation.  They were able to stay awake all night, praying in ecstasy!

"These beans are useful," the monks thought.  "They are sent from heaven," they declared, and immediately began to harvest them.   

And the rest is history!

Buna means "coffee" in Ethiopia. The buna ceremony is an important part of Ethiopian and Eritrean culture. During the ceremony, the hostess prepares the coffee in front of her guests and then serves it as a sign of friendship and hospitality.  A buna ceremony is not only about drinking coffee, but also a way of bringing people together! 
Intro to The Big Buna Bash

In an age when coffee is usually consumed on the run, the ancient buna coffee ceremony is a chance to slow down, pull back, and enjoy the moment. To most of us this doesn't come naturally....especially for me!

The Big Buna Bash:
"Why is it taking so long?" they asked impatiently. "My mom and dad can make coffee in two minutes!"  

The beauty of buna is it's potential for connecting people to people and heart to heart, as friends and family gather to share good conversation.....and of course good coffee!

The Big Buna Bash:
My big sister, Bosena, interrupted me.  "My friends think the buna ceremony is really cool.  They say it's like a big party!"  
That's when I got my fabulous idea! I would host a buna party to show my classmates what the ceremony was really about.  

An invitation to buna is a symbol of friendship and respect....but don't expect a quick cup of coffee.  Although caffeine is a stimulant, the buna ceremony is slow and laid-back, as the hostess prepares the coffee in front of her guests.

The Big Buna Bash
"Here in the US, people drink coffee in a hurry," I read from my paper.  "But in Ethiopia, people like to sit together for hours to drink and talk.  It's just like going with your friends to Starbucks, except that at a buna party, we make the coffee right in front of you."

So what goes on in the buna ceremony?  Let's journey through the various stages.

Even before the guests arrive, the woman of the house is busy with preparations.  She dresses in her traditional Ethiopian dress, lights incense, puts out snacks of popcorn or cooked barley, and spreads aromatic grasses on the floor to symbolize abundance.  Then, she brings in the "rekebot", a box-like table.  On this table sits a tray filled with little handle-less cups called "sini'.
When her guests arrive, the hostess greets them warmly and takes her place on the small stool in front of the charcoal fire. It's time to tune out the world and relax!

First, she washes the raw, pale-green coffee beans to remove their husks and other debris.

Next, she roasts them in a flat, long-handled pan, until they turn dark brown and shiny with natural oils.

The Big Buna Bash:
Nana was already sitting in her place on the low stool beside the buna table. She stirred a pan of glistening decaf coffee beans on a portable camping stove.

The roasting process delights the senses: you see the beans turning color, you hear then popping in the pan, and you can smell them roasting as the hostess waves the aromatic smoke in the direction of her guests.

The Big Buna Bash:
"At buna, it is important that every guest enjoy the delicious smell," she said as she held out the pan for everyone to sniff.
Marcus, who was sitting next to me, made an icky face.
"Maybe you don't like the way it smells. but I'm used to it," I said.
"It's a fantastic aroma," Mrs. Hill said, taking a long whiff.

Traditionally the roasted beans were ground in a wooden mortar and pounded with a long, metal pestle.

The Big Buna Bash:
My new friends took turns shaking the pan, and the seeds started to pop.  Then Bosena explained how people ground the beans by hand back in Ethiopia.

After the buna is ground, the coffee is spooned into the jebena (a special clay coffee pot) filled with boiling water, and placed back on the flame.

The Big Buna Bash:
Nana put water in a long-necked clay pot called a jebena and put it on the small camping stove on the floor.  While the water was boiling, she mixed in some ground coffee and put the jebena back on the stove.

When the coffee is ready, a filter is placed in the spout before pouring, to prevent the grounds from escaping.

The Big Buna Bash:
When the steam started pouring from the jebena's spout, we knew the buna was finally ready.

The hostess pours the coffee in a single stream, from the height of about one foot above, until each little cup on the tray is filled.  Often with the help of a child, the guests are served one by one, beginning with the oldest member of the family or an important visitor.

The Big Buna Bash:
Nana signaled for me to do the pouring.  It was my first time!  My hand shook as I splashed hot decaf coffee into the cups on the tray.  I carefully served the delicate little cups and saucers - first to Mrs. Hill, the guest of honor; and then to my classmates, who drank theirs with lots of milk and sugar.

Tradition says that if you drink all three rounds, you will be blessed and your spirit transformed!

The Big Buna Bash:
"Don't forget the one, two, three rule," I  reminded my mom.
Nana winked at me.  "Almaz means that you need to drink three rounds of buna.  The third cup, called baraka, brings a blessing on those who drink it."  The kids gasped and giggled.  Most of my classmates had never even tasted coffee before.

So that's what the buna ceremony is all about.  Now all you need  is to find an Ethiopian restaurant and experience the magic that is buna!

​The Big Buna Bash:
"This was an amazing buna party!" everyone said.
"This was the most wonderful buna party ever," I said.

May your families live in peace, and your children grow and prosper.
May God give you the grace that He gives to buna.