Abyssinia

The caravan was only slightly tipsy

April 26, 2010

February 1927 All of interior Abyssinia is represented by a plateau, cut by deep canyons, often up to 1000 metres or more. Every day the caravan had to descend into and then climb out of these canyons again. After passing through the Godzham region, we came to a forested area, the native land of wild [...]

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Ethiopian mustard

April 23, 2010

Reading Vavilov’s very brief mention of “peculiar cabbages and wild mustard (Brassica carinata)” reminds me that I grew this species — a natural cross between B. oleracea and B. nigra in the Triangle of U — for a few seasons. It was a variety called Texsel Greens. I seem to recall the name as being [...]

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Full of endemic species

April 21, 2010

February 1927 Interior Abyssinia as well as the Gonder region is full of endemic species. There are enormous crops of Abyssinian teff (Eragrostis tef); interesting, peculiar and variable wheat in an unbelievable mixture of forms; and mixed crops of barley, including black naked ones not known anywhere else in the world. There are large quantities [...]

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Bees and mead in Ankober

April 16, 2010

February 1927 When I stopped to visit the village headman, I was well received. Forage and flat-cakes made of teff and wheat appeared, together with enormous pitchers of ‘tal,’ an Abyssinian beer made of barley; and small pitchers of `taech,’ a remarkable beverage made of honey. For some reason, chickens took the form of an [...]

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Into the heart of Abyssinia

April 14, 2010

February 1927 The main road runs through the ‘dega,’ i.e. the highland. Ankober is situated at an elevation of 2700 metres. The capital, Addis Ababa, is itself located at an altitude of 2440 metres. The main mass of the agricultural population is concentrated on this plateau, which is the principal zone of bread grains. The [...]

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The caravan departs — without shackles

April 12, 2010

7 February 1927 According to the rules established by the government of Abyssinia, every traveller must conclude a treaty with the entire caravan and sign it in the presence of the governor of Addis Ababa before setting out on a long trip. In this treaty the responsibilities of the leader of the expedition are outlined. [...]

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Wild asses tamed twice

April 9, 2010

“Abyssinia is, apparently, the native land of donkeys,” Vavilov states flatly. well, maybe. Two relatively recent studies shed light on the domestication of the donkey. A 2004 paper by Albano Beja-Pereira and his colleagues, published in Science, looked at the molecular evidence. The researchers conclude that the donkey was domesticated twice, once from the Nubian [...]

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Arranging a caravan

April 7, 2010

January 1927 The low cost of living in Abyssinia made it possible to outfit a large caravan for an expedition. … Usually mules are used for long distances; horses are used only for short stretches, since they have less endurance under the conditions prevailing in Abyssinia. According to the customs of this country it was [...]

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How they make enjera: “flapjacks on steroids”

April 5, 2010

To see the care with which the “flat-cakes” called enjera are made and served is to be reminded that this food is something of a cultural keystone for Ethiopians. … [H]ours before enjera cakes are put on the grill, the teff flour is mixed with water and a special set of spices. Next, that batter [...]

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The diversity of teff

April 2, 2010

Despite endless efforts by development agencies to get Ethiopians to grow grains other than teff, roughly fifty million Ethiopians still use enjera as their daily bread, consuming close to 1.6 million metric tons of teff flour a year. Just as no two displays of vegetables and sauces on enjera are alike, no two teff fields [...]

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