Nestled in the Great Rift Valley...the country of Ethiopia.
Today we explore (virtually), here.
The Horn of Africa.
It is impossible for me to think about Ethiopia without seeing Moges, immediately.
Moges (pronounced Moh-gus) was my Anatomy and Physiology I instructor in Nursing School. He was from Ethiopia...spoke English dismally (...you couldn't even understand his lectures...much less record them...) and was pretty round, for our limited perception of an Ethiopian. He may have been a brilliant instructor in Ethiopia. Here, he was the butt of some terribly insensitive jokes.
"They say he ATE his entire village before coming to America."
He was a patient, gentle man who put up with us, admirably...and probably didn't understand a lot of the horrible comments that were made.
Anyway...
Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world. 117 million people cover roughly 420,000 square miles.
Religiously, the country is made up of Sunni Muslims and Christianity.
Ethiopia's name is derived from Greek for "Burnt Face".
It is the first place that Modern Man appeared in fossils.
Ethiopia has seen...like most of Africa...rule under many nations including Russian and Italian.
It has been a Federally recognized Republic since 1991.
You have probably seen it in the news recently after a dust-up with the Tigray.
Explained in more detail by the BBC-
https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cr2pnx1173dt/tigray-crisis
Like a great deal of Africa...Ethiopia has distinctive wet and dry seasons. Think oppressively hot and dry or monsoon. There is little gray area.
Agriculture is primary and coffee, sugar cane, potatoes and grains make up the bulk of it.
Ethiopia is known for being the place the coffee bean originated. Legend has it that the goat-herder, Kaldi, noticed even his older goats frolicking like kids after eating the beans from specific wild plants. They became so energetic they would not sleep at night. He brought the beans to a local monastery and the abbot made a soup out of them.
This soup would eventually be refined to the morning cup we enjoy today.
Now you know.
You can try some yourself, here
https://www.amazon.com/Ethiopian-Coffee-Yirgacheffe-Roasted-16-ounce/dp/B0030IGUI0/ref=asc_df_B0030IGUI0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312061264516&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15323865619130782874&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016589&hvtargid=pla-570558757845&psc=1
Coffee Plantation
The
Process
https://youtu.be/lDAqwztVR3Q
https://youtu.be/FdfwlMuXZQc
Next we will head to the Ivory Coast.
https://youtu.be/2xW9mTStyhM