Spiced Buna
ቡናBOO-na, with tena adam (TEH-na ah-DAHM)
Strong Ethiopian coffee brewed with smoky korerima cardamom and a little cinnamon, with a fresh sprig of rue floated in each cup. The rue smells sharp, green and almost citrus, and in Ethiopia it is said to be good for you.
At a glance
- Coffee : water
- 1:12
- Active time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 15 min
- Makes
- 4 small cups
- Serve
- Hot, with rue
- Kit
- Jebena or saucepan
Ingredients
Note: Rue is a strong herb and some people react to handling it in sunlight. One small sprig per cup is the traditional amount.
Method
-
Crush the spices
Crack the korerima pods in a mortar and crush the seeds roughly with the husks. Break the cinnamon into small pieces.
-
Boil the spices first
Put the water and spices in the jebena or a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for two minutes.
Korerima is tough and smoky and needs a head start on the coffee.
Simmer 2 minutes -
Add the coffee and boil up
Add the coffee, stir, and let it boil up two or three times, lifting it off the heat each time it rises.
3 to 4 minutes -
Settle, then pour
Let it stand for five minutes so the grounds and spices settle. Put sugar in each cup and pour in a steady stream.
Settle 5 minutes -
A sprig of rue in each cup
Float a small sprig of rue in each cup, or stir it briefly and lift it out. Its aroma is very strong, and a single sprig is plenty.
Why this works
Korerima, Aframomum corrorima, is a relative of green cardamom grown in Ethiopia and used throughout its cooking. It shares some of cardamom's aromatic compounds, including 1,8-cineole, which gives the cooling, eucalyptus note, but it is smokier, earthier and less floral. In coffee that smokiness sits well against an Ethiopian roast, adding warmth rather than perfume. It is tougher than green cardamom too, which is why the spices go in before the coffee.
Cinnamon and clove add sweetness of smell. Cinnamaldehyde and eugenol both read as warm and sweet, and they round off the coffee's acidity without adding sugar. They are used sparingly here, as background rather than lead.
Rue is the unusual one. Tena adam, the Amharic name, is often translated as the health of Adam, and the herb is popularly believed to aid digestion and ward off illness. Its aroma is sharp, bitter and slightly citrus, and a single sprig in a cup of coffee changes how the whole cup smells. Rue contains compounds called furanocoumarins that can make skin react to sunlight after handling, so it is used fresh and in small amounts.
Spiced buna is not a separate ceremony. It is the same Ethiopian buna seasoned the way many households prefer it, varying a great deal by region and by family. Some add only rue. Some only korerima. Few use all of them at once, so treat this as a starting point and drop what you do not like.
Variations
- Rue only: plain buna with a sprig of tena adam in each cup, the most common addition.
- Korerima only: the smoky cardamom alone, without cinnamon or clove.
- With ginger: a few slices of fresh ginger with the spices, common in winter.
- With butter: a small piece of spiced butter, niter kibbeh, in the cup, in some southern regions.
Rue can cause skin irritation, including blistering in sunlight, in some people who handle it. Wash your hands after picking it and use small amounts. Avoid rue entirely in pregnancy.
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Questions
What is tena adam?
The Amharic name for rue, a strong-smelling herb. Ethiopians often float a sprig in coffee, and it is popularly believed to aid digestion.
What is korerima?
Ethiopian cardamom, Aframomum corrorima. It is related to green cardamom but smokier and earthier, and is widely used in Ethiopian cooking.
Can I use green cardamom instead of korerima?
Yes. Use about twice as many green cardamom pods. The coffee will taste more floral and less smoky.
Is spiced coffee part of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony?
It can be. Many families add rue or spices to the ceremony coffee, but plain buna is just as traditional. It varies by region and household.