…coffee

Coffee discovery originated from the legend of Kaldi, a goatherd in the highlands of Ethiopia. One day Kaldi was herding his goats when they started nibbling on some strange berry plants. Soon after, the goats became extremely energetic, jumping about like Kaldi had never seen. He believed the berries they had eaten to be magical, and collected, boiled and ate some along with members from the local monastery. After receiving a burst of energy he shared his discovery and from that moment coffee began to take over the world. For many of us, coffee still provides this ‘magical’ burst of stimulation.

This 9^th century discovery was transferred from town to town and soon reached the Arabs who did not wish to share the ability to grow plants with others. They traded the beans, which had been boiled to prevent them from growing in another country’s soil. One reason as to why coffee became so popular in a number of countries was due to the Muslim population who, forbidden by the Koran to drink alcohol, instead turned to coffee for its energizing effects.

The Dutch, however, got their hands on some of the unboiled berries in the 1600s and planted them in Java in Indonesia. From there they were exported to most parts of the world and plantations were created in other countries. There are 10 steps to coffee from the seed to the cup.

The first coffee houses were opened in England, Austria and Italy and became very popular; although at first there was some uncertainty about the dark coloured drink and it was often labelled the ‘bitter invention of Satan’. In 1615 as coffee houses arrived in Venice, the local clergy condemned it. The Pope was asked to intervene, and after tasting the devil’s drink for himself he found it to be quite delicious and proclaimed that it was not the work of the devil after all.

Coffee arrived in Brazil after a difficult journey and mission undertaken by Francisco de Mello Palheta. He went to French Guiana where he tried to obtain coffee seedlings. However the French, like the Arabs, were unwilling to simply give away this precious commodity. The French governors wife was not so unwilling, and after Palheta charmed her socks of she sneakily gave him some flowers upon his departure, with coffee seeds hidden amongst the petals. Todays billion dollar coffee industry in Brazil may not have become what it is today if it weren’t for the charming Palheta.

Today coffee is one of the most important export crops to be traded on the market and is grown on five continents and indulged in by the world. Thanks to Kaldi and his curious goats you can enjoy your morning soy decaf long macchiato with hot milk on the side (jerk).

I wonder if this little goat, ‘Buttermilk’, has been nibbling on some coffee plants?