There is botanical evidence that suggests that coffee originated on the plateaus of central Ethiopia. And that's about it. Nobody knows exactly when or how its stimulant effect was discovered, nor where and when its cultivation started. Some sources date these discoveries back to the sixth century, whereas others claim there are no records until the ninth, thirteenth or even seventeenth century. The truth probably lies in between as the earliest credible evidence appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. It's also pretty clear that it was in Arabia that coffee beans were first roasted and brewed in a similar way as to how it is done today.
The abundance of the legends I posted before might have already suggested it: the true origins of coffee are well hidden in the mists of the past. There is botanical evidence that suggests that coffee originated on the plateaus of central Ethiopia. And that's about it. Nobody knows exactly when or how its stimulant effect was discovered, nor where and when its cultivation started. Some sources date these discoveries back to the sixth century, whereas others claim there are no records until the ninth, thirteenth or even seventeenth century. The truth probably lies in between as the earliest credible evidence appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. It's also pretty clear that it was in Arabia that coffee beans were first roasted and brewed in a similar way as to how it is done today. The only thing in coffee's history that seems certain is that the plant originated in Ethiopia, somehow ended up in Yemen and began its journey around the world from Arabia. Hence it might be that there is some truth in the story that coffee arrived in Arabia by slaves taken from present day Sudan. These slaves arrived in Yemen and Arabia through the port of Mocha, and chewed coffee berries to help them survive the journey. To substantiate this story, there is proof that coffee was ground and mixed with butter by the Galla tribe of Ethiopia in order to consume it like chocolate, a practice that exists to date in some parts of Kaffa and Sidamo.
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AuthorI wouldn't be surprised to find out I was born with a passion for coffee. For the life of me, I can't remember not loving coffee. And by that, I don't just mean drinking it, but everything involved from its cultivation over the processing to the final product that is my loyal companion throughout the day. Archives
February 2014
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