The vast majority of us start each day with a satisfying cup of coffee. We hold ourselves to a very high level when it comes to coffee. Coffee has been and will continue to be a vital component of social culture. This is true whether you get it from your neighbourhood barista or make it at yourself.
Coffee, which has been around for hundreds of years and is now the world’s second most widely legally traded commodity, has been around for a long time.
Let’s take a look back at the origins of coffee, shall we?
A goat discovered coffee?
It is reported that an Ethiopian herder by the name of Kaldi saw the strange behaviour and high levels of activity shown by his goats. He saw that the herd was consuming the fruit of a certain tree, which resembled cherries, and chewing it. This fact piqued Kaldi’s interest, so he sampled the cherry fruit for himself and observed the changes it brought about.
After that, Kaldi communicated his results to the abbot of the nearby monastery. The abbot subsequently created a drink with the cherries and discovered that it kept him attentive during the many hours of nighttime prayer. Soon after that, news began to spread about these wonderful berries, and soon after that, cherished coffee beans were found.
First use
When it has not been processed, coffee takes the form of a cherry-like fruit that becomes red when it is mature. The coffee bean may be located in the middle of the coffee cherry. Before it became widely eaten as a beverage, people used to drink coffee in a variety of different ways. Ancient people in Ethiopia combined the fruit with ghee, which is clarified butter, and formed the resulting substance into a delicious energy bar using a pressing method. Their troops charged into battle while munching on their newly developed combat rations.
The first stage in the process of creating coffee as it is traditionally prepared was to roast the coffee beans, which did not become common practise until the 15th century.
Origin of the word “coffee”
In the early 1500s, the Dutch term koffie provided the basis for the English word coffee. In Yemen, it became known by the name qahwah, which was a romantic phrase for wine in its earlier incarnation. In later times, it was renamed kahveh in Turkey and koffie in the Netherlands.
History
It is generally agreed that Arabia was the place where roasted coffee as we know it today was first used. The Muslim society enjoyed drinking large quantities of coffee during this time period (the 13th century).
The first verifiable evidence of people drinking coffee dates back to the middle of the 15th century and was discovered in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen.
The name “qahwah” originally referred to wine, and during their nightly devotions, the Sufis of Yemen would drink the beverage as a way to improve their ability to concentrate and to stay awake.
The popularity of coffee quickly extended from the Middle East to other parts of Europe, including the Balkans, Italy, and the rest of Europe; east to Indonesia; and then west to the Americas, mostly via the efforts of the Dutch.
Introduction of coffee to Europe
The island of Malta is credited as being the location where coffee was first brought to Europe in the 16th century. By the middle of the 17th century, coffee had gained a significant following over the whole of the European continent.
The notion of a coffee shop, which is believed to have originated in Arabia, was rapidly gaining popularity in Europe at the time. People were amused in coffee houses by the utilisation of various activities such as music performances, dancing, games, and conversations about the most recent breaking news. These coffee cafes quickly had a reputation for being “schools of the wise,” which meant that they were the place to go if you wanted to find out what was going on in the world at the time.
Coffee gradually began to displace beer and wine as the primary liquids used at breakfast, which resulted in individuals beginning their day feeling more awake and energetic.
Introduction of coffee to Americas
The coffee plant was originally brought to the Americas in 1720, when coffee seedlings were planted on the island of Martinique, which is located in the Caribbean.
In the year 1734, the colonial French province of Saint-Domingue began growing coffee, and by the year 1788, it was providing half of the world’s supply.
By 1852, Brazil had already established itself as the world’s leading producer of coffee, and it has maintained that position ever since.
At the close of the 1800s, coffee had reached the status of a global commodity, which made it possible for businesspeople to search for opportunities to make money off of the popular beverage. It was at this time that the globe witnessed the introduction of the coffee bean roaster that empties itself as it works and pre-roasted coffee sold in paper bags.
Beginning in the 1960s and continuing today, there was a rise in demand for speciality coffee. As a direct consequence of this, the first Starbucks location opened its doors in the year 1971 in the city of Seattle.
Coffee has an illustrious history that spans hundreds of years, and now it is an important component of the economy of the whole globe.