The History of Coffee the Origin of Coffee

the history of coffee

origin

The origin of the coffee is unknown. One of the legends is that coffee originated in the plateau of Kafa Province in southwest Ethiopia. It is said that a shepherd discovered that sheep became very excited after eating a plant, so coffee was discovered. There is also a saying that a wildfire burned a coffee forest, and the aroma of barbecue coffee attracted the attention of surrounding residents. The fruit of this plant was first chewed to refresh the people, and later baked and ground to make bread mixed with flour as a food for warriors to enhance their courage in battle.

It wasn't until around 1000 AD that people began to brew coffee as a drink. In the 13th century, Ethiopian troops invaded Yemen, bringing coffee to the Arab world. Because Islam prohibits believers from drinking alcohol, some religious people think this drink stimulates nerves and violates the doctrine, and once banned and closed coffee shops, but Egypt's sultan thinks coffee does not violate the doctrine and ordered the ban, coffee drinks quickly became popular in Arab regions. The word coffee comes from Arabic Qahwa, meaning "vegetable drink", and later spread to Turkey, becoming Kahve, which became the source of the word in European languages. Coffee cultivation and production methods have also been continuously improved and gradually perfected by Arabs.

introduced into Europe

In 1570, when the Turkish army besieged Vienna and retreated in defeat, someone found a bag of black seeds in the barracks of the Turkish army. No one knew what it was. A Polish man who had lived in Turkey took the coffee and opened the first coffee shop in Vienna. At the end of the 16th century, coffee began to be introduced to Europe on a large scale through Italy in the name of "Islamic wine".

Coffee became popular among the upper classes in Europe in the 17th century, but the cultivation and production of coffee has always been monopolized by Arabs and is valuable in Europe. It wasn't until 1690 that a Dutch captain sailed to Yemen, got a few coffee seedlings, and began planting them successfully in Dutch India (now Indonesia). The first coffee shop opened in Venice in 1716, and in 1727 the wife of a diplomat in Dutch Guiana (now Suriname) sent coffee seeds to a Spaniard stationed in Brazil, where he tried them with good results. Brazil's climate is very suitable for coffee growth, coffee spread rapidly in South America. Coffee, whose price had fallen as a result of mass production, became an important drink for Europeans, and by 1763 Venice had 218 coffee shops.