The Origins of Coffee
A PASSION for coffee
"Everyone should believe in something. I believe I will have another coffee." - Anon.
Who “Invented” coffee?
As you sip your coffee, has it ever occurred to you that the beverage you are drinking has a long and fascinating history, probably hailing back to the late Middle Ages or more?
The word ‘coffee’ entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch koffie, borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish kahve, in turn, borrowed from the Arabic qahwah (قهوة). The Arabic origin of the word ‘coffee’ explains and correlates with the history of coffee and adds fascination and mystique to this wonderful drink!
The origins of coffee date back to centuries-old oral tradition in modern-day Ethiopia; however, neither the exact place where coffee was first cultivated nor direct evidence of its consumption before the 15th century have been found. Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers. This practice soon spread to Mecca and Medina.
According to legend, coffee was ‘discovered’ by Ethiopian goat herders many centuries ago. They noticed the effect caffeine had on their goats, which seemed to become more energetic after eating the fruit of the coffee plant.
A local monk then made a drink from the fruit and realised that it kept him alert through the long hours of evening prayer… and the original cup of coffee was born (thank you, Mr Monk!) Word eventually spread to other monks and soon reached the more civilised world.
By the 15th century, coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia, and by the 16th century, it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. By the 17th century, it had made its way to Europe. In the mid-1600s, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam (later renamed New York) by the British. As the 1600s went on, coffee houses sprung up all over Europe in England, Austria, France, Germany and Holland.
And the rest, as they say, is history!
