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Buna, coffee the way the ceremony makes it
Buna is coffee, and in Ethiopia, where coffee was first drunk, it is made in a ceremony: green beans roasted in a pan in front of the guests, ground by hand and boiled in a jebena (a round clay coffee pot). It is poured in three rounds, strong, sweet and very fragrant, with a bowl of popcorn passed around, and it is the proper end to a meal.
- 40 minutes
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 35 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 60g green (unroasted) coffee beans, from coffee merchants online
- 4 teaspoons caster sugar, or to taste
- To serve: 50g popping corn
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for the popcorn
Let's cook
- Rinse the green beans in a sieve and dry them on a tea towel.
- Open a window and turn on the extractor fan: roasting coffee smokes. Put the beans in a heavy dry frying pan on a medium heat and keep them moving with a wooden spoon, or shake the pan, for 12 to 15 minutes. They turn yellow, then brown, crackle, then turn a deep glossy brown with a little oil on the surface. Tip them onto a plate to cool for 5 minutes. At a ceremony the hot pan is carried round so everyone can breathe in the smoke.
- Grind the beans fine, like table salt, in a coffee grinder or with a pestle and mortar.
- Bring 600ml water to the boil in a jebena or a small saucepan. Take it off the heat, add the coffee and stir. Put it back on a low heat and let it rise to the boil once, then take it straight off before it boils over.
- Leave it to stand for 3 to 4 minutes so the grounds sink to the bottom.
- Meanwhile, make the popcorn: heat the oil in a large pan with a lid, add the corn, cover and shake over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the popping slows. Tip it into a bowl.
- Put a teaspoon of sugar in each small cup. Pour the coffee in one slow, steady stream from a little height so the grounds stay in the pot. This first round is called abol.
- For the second and third rounds, tona and baraka, add 300ml fresh water to the grounds in the pot each time, bring to the boil, settle and pour as before. Each round is lighter than the last; the third is said to bring a blessing.
Tips
- No green beans: use 50g freshly ground dark roast coffee and start from the brewing step.
- Buna is strong and has plenty of caffeine, so it is not for children; offer them the popcorn.
- Never leave hot oil on the hob, and keep children back from the pan while the coffee roasts.
Swaps
- Spiced: add 2 lightly crushed green cardamom pods to the pot with the coffee.
- No sugar: serve it black, or with a pinch of salt, as some families do.
Tags
None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written: coffee, sugar, popping corn and oil contain none. Some flavoured coffees and popcorn kernels are packed alongside nuts or milk, so check the label if that matters.
Check every packet for allergens.