A diet of aloe and bitter herbs for the future emperor

Yohannes IV was subjected during his youth to a singular diet by his mother Woyzero Selass Demtsou. Wanting to raise a strong and courageous boy, she added bitter herbs and aloe to her son's dishes. Although some historians like Gelawdéwos Araya doubt the reality of this particular diet, the legend has remained attached to his childhood.