The Development of Coffee and the Promotion of Arabia, China and Turkey

From 11405 to 1433, Zheng He's fleet and its subdivisions visited Arab countries along the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea, including Yemen. Western soldiers, sailors and scholars carried tea, drank tea and sold tea, bringing China's "national drink"-tea culture to the Arab world. The imperial edict issued by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty for the voyage to the West said: "The officials in the voyage to the West share salt, sauce, tea, wine, oil, candle, etc., and spend according to the number of people. October 16, 2009." Ma Huan, who went to the West three times, wrote down that some countries and regions visited were "no tea". For example, Bangla (now Bengal)"there are many wine, the market sells no tea, people treat people with betel nut." Another example is Java (now Java, Indonesia),"when guests come and go without tea, only (only) to treat them with betel nuts." % Specifically write down the barbarians "no tea", indicating that they want to introduce and sell tea to the locals. In addition, porcelain is one of the main bulk products used for exchange and sale by the Western fleet. The Arab region is hot and dry, and Muslims must not go without water or water containers for a day. Chinese porcelain tableware, kettle, tea set, water containers and so on become their much-needed daily necessities, demand is very large. Fei Xin's description of the four voyages to the West: Tianfang State (Saudi Arabia Mecca)"gold and silver, satin, color silk, blue and white magnetic (porcelain) ware, iron tripod, iron iron"; Fei Xin has similar records for Zofar State (Oman Zofar) and Adan State (Yemen Aden), where Chinese porcelain is in the "goods category". Foreign people often exchange porcelain with Arabs. For example,"...................................... Chinese porcelain is loved and cherished by the Arab people. Therefore, Arabs still call porcelain "simi"(simi), meaning "China"; the same as English called porcelain "China"(China), known as China "porcelain country." Ethiopia, where coffee comes from, calls china sino, which also means chinese.

It may be assumed that the Chinese flotilla members invited the peoples of various countries to tea and tea on many occasions, and gave or sold them tea and tea sets. Chinese tea, tea sets and tea drinking habits give Muslims a hint: the original refreshing drinks can also become consumer goods in daily life. This recognition accelerated the popularity of coffee, prompting it to develop from a religious drink, a medicinal drink for doctors and patients, to a popular leisure drink. The last (or seventh) voyage to the West was in 1433, when the Yemeni Arab dynasty explicitly permitted the drinking and cultivation of coffee; as noted above, it was in 1454, only 21 years apart; and coffee cups throughout the world today, including in Arabia, are shaped more like Chinese teacups (i.e., traditional cup cups with tea boats or saucers) than like Western deep, large beer glasses, deep water glasses, and tall wine glasses--these two points also seem to be circumstantial evidence.

After coffee cultivation and drinking became legal in Arab Yemen in the mid-15th century, its spread began to accelerate. In the 1570s, it spread to the holy places of Islam and to Cairo in the late 15th century.

From the end of the 15th century, great changes took place in world history, that is, the beginning of the great geographical discovery. The discovery of geography lasted until the end of the 16th century, and since then (early 16th century) the sea route has been connected and the world has truly become one. From then on, Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, Holland and Russia began to form colonial powers with modern significance. "It also started a real global exchange, including a large exchange of agricultural crops. Speaking of the great exchange of crops, it is easy to think that various crops discovered and cultivated by American Indians, including cocoa, one of the three major drinks, were introduced into the Old World and spread all over the world. It is not difficult to think that crops of the Old World, including tea, the number one drink discovered and cultivated by the Chinese, were spread to all continents, continents and countries. However, it is difficult to think of coffee, one of the three major drinks cultivated by Arabs, discovered by African Ethiopians. During this period, it also took advantage of this opportunity to spread all over the world from a corner around the Red Sea.

The further spread of coffee on a larger scale was inextricably linked to Ottoman Turkey. Almost at the same time that Spain and Portugal became colonial empires, Ottoman Turkey expanded into feudal religious empires. In 1453, Turkey destroyed the Hellenistic ancient empire Byzantium, occupied Constantinople, and further expanded to Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Turks conquered Egypt in 1517 and Yemen in 1536…West Asia, North Africa, Minor Asia, Central Asia and Southeast Europe were all under Turkish rule. Coffee then spread rapidly across Turkey, a vast empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa. In the 1630s, the world's first commercial coffee shop (hall, room) appeared in Damascus. In 1554, the coffee shop also appeared in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey (formerly Constantinople). In the same year, Sultan Sulai of Turkey (Emperor) taxed the production and operation of coffee. The taxation of coffee is both a limitation on exploitation and, I think, a recognition and protection of this new industry. From then on, European travelers and merchants were exposed to hot drinks made from "black molasses boiled from black seeds" in cafes in Turkey.

Under Turkish rule, coffee not only spread widely across its vast territory, coffee shops emerged as places for casual conversation, but coffee processing and drinking also revolutionized. Oishr, the coffee drink formerly made by Arabs, used only the pulp of coffee and discarded the better-tasting seeds (pits) of coffee beans; or the coffee pulp was dried and crushed and then mixed with oil to make balls; or the pericarp was mixed with green beans and fermented for drinking. After the Turkish occupation of Arabia in the early 16th century, they began to collect and utilize discarded coffee beans, dry them, roast them, grind them, boil them in water, and drink them with sugar. From then on, the basic way of modern diet coffee was formed. The first coffee shops to appear in Turkey were catering to customers with the new drink. At the same time, the Turks also exported coffee fruits in large quantities to make money. In order to monopolize coffee production, the Turks strictly prohibit the export of raw beans and coffee seedlings and coffee branches, and stipulate that the coffee fruits and coffee beans exported must be boiled in boiling water, roasted, or peeled off the skin of coffee beans (similar to peeling the skin of broad beans or beans; coffee beans are slightly smaller than broad beans or beans), so that they cannot germinate. Turkey monopolized coffee production and sales for more than 100 years through strict inspections.