The History of Coffee

Origin of Coffee

The history of coffee began in Ethiopia, where the Arabica coffee plant (Coffea arabica) grew wild as a shrub. Initially, the fruit was used directly by the local populations, who either chewed it or ground it into small pellets.

Name and Myths

The name "coffee" originates from the Arabic word قهوة (qahwa), which is a derivative of the original Arabic term qahwat al-būnn, meaning "wine of the bean." This refers to the fact that coffee was used as a substitute for wine, since the Quran prohibits alcohol. When coffee first arrived in Europe, it was known as "Arabian wine." Another theory traces the name of coffee to the Kingdom of Kaffa, a region in Ethiopia where coffee began to be used. The origin of coffee and the discovery of its properties have inspired numerous legends. The most famous of these is the story of an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi, who noticed that his goats became more energetic after eating the berries of the coffee plant (the “dancing goats” myth). Another legend says that coffee was given to the Prophet Muhammad by the Archangel Gabriel to grant him strength and endurance.

Arab World

From Africa, coffee passed to Yemen, brought there by slaves from present-day Sudan. The first mention by Muslims appears around 900 A.D. in the writings of the Persian physician Al-Razi. It is estimated that the preparation of coffee as we know it today—roasting the beans and boiling them—began around the 14th century. The earliest detailed reference to the origin and use of coffee comes from a 1587 work by Abd al-Qadir al-Jaziri, which states that the first person to establish the use of coffee was the Mufti of Aden in the 14th century. From Yemen, coffee spread northwards to Mecca and Medina, and from there to the major cities of North Africa. Coffee’s property of combating drowsiness made it popular among the Sufis. Since the Quran prohibits alcohol, coffee was considered a good substitute, and socially, its use was similar to that of alcohol in the West: coffeehouses became places for gathering, discussion, entertainment, and even gambling. The first coffeehouses opened in Mocha, which was the main port from which coffee was traded. Because of their character, coffeehouses often became places for political discussion and activity, and several attempts were made to close them down—but these failed due to the popularity of the beverage. Similar attempts were made to ban coffee altogether as a stimulant, both by hardline imams in Mecca and Cairo, and later by the Ethiopian Church.

Introduction to Europe

Coffee (as a finished product, since the Arabs strictly forbade the export of coffee beans) entered Europe through Venice, which maintained strong trade relations with the Arab world, at the end of the 16th century. Initially, Venetian merchants sold it to the wealthy as an exotic commodity. Its popularity grew after Pope Clement VIII, despite advice from his entourage to condemn coffee as an Islamic threat to Christianity, tried it around 1600, found it excellent, and “baptized” it as a Christian beverage. The first coffeehouse opened in Italy in 1645. The Dutch were the first to obtain coffee seeds and cultivate them, initially in their colonies in Indonesia. Around the same time, the coffee plant also reached India, where Baba Budan smuggled seeds back from Mecca. Coffee’s popularity rapidly increased throughout Europe; by 1675, there were 3,000 coffeehouses in England. Coffee arrived in France in 1657, and in 1669, the envoy of Sultan Muhammad IV brought a large quantity of coffee as a gift to Paris. One of the spoils taken by Polish, Austrian, and German forces after their victory at Vienna in 1683 was the many sacks of coffee left behind by the defeated Ottoman army. Franciszek Kulczycki, a Polish officer who received the coffee sacks as a gift for his bravery, opened a coffeehouse and innovated by adding sugar and milk to coffee. This victory thus became a catalyst for the spread of coffee in Austria, Poland, and Germany.

American continent

Coffee was brought to the American continent by the French, through their colonies in Martinique, French Guiana, and elsewhere. The first coffee plants were brought to Martinique by Gabriel de Clieu in 1714. From there, coffee spread to French Guiana. In 1727, Francisco Palheta was sent by the King of Brazil to French Guiana to obtain coffee seeds for cultivation in Brazil. Since acquiring the seeds proved difficult, Palheta solved the problem by charming the wife of the French governor, who gave him coffee seeds and seedlings. This is how the coffee plant was introduced to Brazil, which today is the world’s largest coffee producer. Around the same period, coffee was cultivated in Jamaica, in Mexico in 1740, in Venezuela in 1784, and by the end of the century in Colombia. In 1893, coffee was brought from Brazil to Kenya and Tanzania, completing its intercontinental journey that began slightly north, in Ethiopia, 900 years earlier. Source: Wikipedia – Coffee