Romantic introduction to French Coffee History and Culture: Bonjour Coffee of France

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The origin of French coffee culture

Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux

When it comes to Bordeaux in France, people may think more of the world-famous Bordeaux wine. But in fact, coffee, a commodity in world trade, has also been closely related to Bordeaux for many years.

With the development of coffee trade, two French ports, Le Havre and Bordeaux, have gradually become trade centers for imported coffee beans. For more than three hundred years, coffee has left more than just a legacy in Bordeaux.

The white table, the basket-colored coffee cup, the sunshade fluttering in the wind, the busy waiter and, of course, the leisurely organ, are all the characteristics of the French cafe. The new trend of thought of French literature and art takes root here. These cafes have also witnessed the decline of French culture from its infancy to its peak, so it is not too much to say that the history of French coffee culture is the history of modern French culture.

A French addicted to caffeine

I have heard that France once drank less coffee because of a shortage of coffee, and immediately saw more people taking a nap. It may seem like an exaggeration, but it is true that the French are addicted to coffee. When the "Gulf War" broke out in 1991, France was also one of the countries participating in the war. some ordinary people in China worried that the war would affect the supply of daily necessities and rushed to supermarkets to buy them. Even the TV station was alarmed by the fact that when the camera looked at customers who were full of "scarce supplies", they found that they took the most coffee and sugar. At one point, it became a big joke at that time.

French coffee

Coffee, a symbol of elegance

The first coffee shop

The first coffee was opened in France in 1643. At that time, coffee was regarded by the French as a cause of disease and physical weakness. So the cafe was given the cold shoulder from the beginning.

Coffee became popular in France after 1669. Rather, it was a special envoy of the Ottoman Empire who received a secret order for the sale of coffee, and every day since he took office he went to the royal family to promote coffee. Louis XIV, the sun king at that time, was completely fascinated by exotic drinks.

LeProcoPe Cafe

Procept Cafe

The table used by Rousseau

Twenty years later, coffee has become very popular in France. The opening of Procep Cafe on Saint-Germain Street on the left bank of the Seine marks the arrival of French coffee and cafes. At first, many French people thought that coffee was too bitter, so they were reluctant to drink it. French businessmen developed a new type of coffee, a mixture of milk and coffee, but the color after the mixture was very similar to the robes of monks of the St. Franciscan Church at that time, so people simply called the mixture of coffee and milk cappuccino cappuccino.

It was Voltaire that made Procept Cafe carry forward. Today, the cafe still retains the marble table that the world's greatest writer used to sit on. At present, the traditional decoration, antique furnishings and various cultural relics preserved in the museum are particularly rich. The pattern and scenery of the museum do not seem to have "taken on a new look" due to the changes of the times, and customers still like its classicality.

Martinique Cafe

After 1848, many cafes appeared in France one after another, among which the concept of Martinique Cafe was second only to Procept Cafe, which first convinced the French that there was pure bohemia in the world.

Del Persia wrote in his article: "if the whole of Paris except this place is burned, with the rest of these people, a new Paris can be built on the ruins." Although they will not design Paris like the Bauhaus school of architecture, they can definitely rebuild the city. "

Martinique Cafe

Since 1865, the Galboa Cafe in the Montmartre Mountains has gradually become more and more famous. the cafe is the base of painters such as Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Sisley and writers led by Zola. It is recognized as "the eternal mecca of bohemian culture and art."

In 1876, under the leadership of Martin, the Galboa Cafe became the forerunner of bohemian culture. At night, Van Gogh and Gauguin often painted each other's portraits in cafes, but Van Gogh only painted Gauguin's empty chairs, and every time he saw Gauguin's portrait of him, he would say, "this is my portrait. I'm going crazy." Van Gogh described the Night Cafe as "a place where people are crazy, destroyed and sinned." Finally, Van Gogh cut off one of his ears and finally finished his portrait. Van Gogh's will: "I believe that after my death, there will be an exhibition of my paintings in the cafe."

French coffee culture has a long history and is by no means as simple as eating and drinking. A cup of coffee with an afternoon of sunshine and time, this is a typical French coffee, the important thing is not the taste but the light attitude and style.

French people develop this habit of drinking coffee, whether they consciously express a kind of elegant charm, a kind of romantic sentiment, a kind of comfortable feeling of enjoying life. It can be said that this is a traditional and unique coffee culture.

Cultural inheritance area

The College Cafe in Montmartre is a symbol of the era of the University of Paris in the 19th century. Here has long been inhabited by artists from all over the world, they take the cafe as the center, together to build a brilliant era of the University of Paris. Opposite St. Germain's Cathedral, there is also a 19th-century-style Les Deux Magots cafe, but it rose to fame in the 1920s. A group of surrealist writers and painters have been eloquent here for a long time, burning the hot sun of artistic ideas, and finally created a "Demag Literature Award" named after this cafe, which continues to this day. It is said that Hemingway used to drink coffee here to capture creative inspiration.

However, a cup of coffee sold elsewhere for 4 to 6 francs can be sold for 22 francs here, and this literary and artistic creation is really valuable. Interestingly, the DeFlore Cafe next door, which is also a famous academic garden, flourished after the war with the presence of more philosophers. At that time, Sartre, Simon Bova and others used to take fixed seats, but now they are specially marked with bronze medals. As the threshold of these two cafes is always in and out of cultural elites, the area is gradually full of bookstores, more and more literary cafes and restaurants, and later became the birthplace of Belle-Lettre.

Coffee culture and art coexist

Since the beginning of this century, cafes have often become centers of social activities, clubs for intellectuals to debate issues, and even a typical symbol of French society and culture. There are few French artists who don't have sex with cafes, as do writers, musicians and painters.

On the one hand, Impressionist painters of the 19th century made a living by painting portraits in cafes, on the other hand, they talked with like-minded people to explore artistic styles, themes, techniques and new methods. Different cafes can form different cultural circles and produce different art schools. The composer Chabrier used to spend every night in a cafe with the poet Verran and the painter Monet. Their artistic ideas influence each other, and their works naturally echo the trend, reflecting the spirit of Paris at the end of the 19th century. The painter Van Gogh once lived in the attic of a French cafe, and his paintings included a "Cafe at Night". He was so affectionate about the cafe that he wrote in a letter: "I hope to hold an exhibition of my personal paintings in this cafe one day."

Coffee in Paris is the most human.

The cafe in Paris is the most humane place, where poor artists can sit from day to night by buying a cup of coffee. It is warm and safe, and they can also write and paint. The cafe in Paris is kind and forgiving. It never urges you to leave early because you only drink a cup of coffee. You can stay as long as you like, with a cup of coffee, a tradition that continues to this day.

Today, a large number of cafes have been distributed in the corners of the streets of France, more civilian, but also serve as taverns and small restaurants. Here regardless of grade composition, but also regardless of lofty and secular, to have a cup can sit idle for half a day, or chat, or read a newspaper. On the other hand, relatives, friends, colleagues and classmates are also willing to hang out here and have a heart-to-heart talk. People engaged in art and learning often get together to argue, and no one else is surprised if they are talking to themselves alone.

Everyone is enjoying leisure, no one thinks that this is a waste of time, and many people are willing to believe that those profound philosophies and the flames of wisdom are often born in this environment. This is a unique place where you can smoke and pull your canvas shoes, bring your pet dog, smoke cigarettes and, of course, leave your suit open without a tie. Anyway, suit yourself, the characteristic here is casual, active, unrestrained, very much in line with the character of the French.

Source: love coffee culture media