The Mortar and Pestle

Shortly after returning from the beach, we had our adoption small group over to our home to share with them about our trip to Ethiopia. I don't have many pictures from the evening, but we so enjoyed sharing with our friends a bit of Ethiopian culture. We had Injera and several typical Ethiopian dishes from our local Ethiopian restaurant. I think it was enjoyed by ALL! After dinner we introduced them to a typical Ethiopian coffee ceremony. We had purchased green coffee beans from the Ethiopian Restaurant and roasted these over the small grill we had purchased while in Ethiopia and in the pot given to us by Tsebay, the owner of our guest house. After roasting the beans, Graham crushed them for us using the mortar and pestle we bought in Gimbie, the village of our Daughter's birth. We purchased this right on the main street there in Gimbie. We keep it on diplay in our home as a reminder of where she was born.  

After crushing the beans, we placed them in boiling water in the coffee pot we also purchased while in Ethiopia and then served the coffee in china cups on the small coffee table also purchased while there. And of course the ceremony is not complete without popcorn served in the Ethiopian wicker basket. Here is our Ethiopian princess checking out our reproduction of this traditional Ethiopian ceremony.

We tried to soak up as much of the culture as we could while there so we could share this with her as she grows up. We just did not know how we would fall in love with the culture and traditions of this beautiful country. One of the best things about the coffee ceremony is that you sit and enjoy talking to family and friends in the comfort of your home while sharing the coffee and popcorn. This relational time is highly valued in their culture.  We will so enjoy incorporating this into our own!