Butter, Coffee, and 9th Century Ethiopia

Butter coffee is certainly popular.... again. Although there are folks who will claim to have popularized the mixing of butter into coffee, the fact is that this is a very, very old tradition - dating back over 1000 years to 9th Century Ethiopia.

Ethiopian-style coffee is thought to have originated as early as the year 800, several hundred years after coffee itself was first developed in Yemen, in the 6th century.

You can check out this site for a guide to recreating the traditional coffee ceremony. Though not a part of that ceremony, ghee (clarified butter) is commonly mixed with the ground beans before brewing, to create a warm, rich and restorative drink not unlike the Tibetan Butter Tea (which is though to have developed around the 10th century, half way around the world.)