Coffee's Long and Interesting History
Ethiopia is a country in Eastern Africa where coffee was first discovered in the 17th century. A well-known legend tells the storey of a goat herder by the name of Kaldi. He noticed one day that his goats were acting a little feisty after eating berries from a nearby bush. Kaldi decided to give the berries a shot. He discovered that he had gained new energy. The news of this incredible fruit quickly spread throughout the region. Monks began drying the berries so that they could be transported to other monasteries. They reconstituted the berries by soaking them in water for an extended period of time. They would consume the fruit and drink the liquid in order to stimulate their minds in preparation for a more awakened prayer time. The berries were transported from Ethiopia to the Arabian peninsula, where they were first cultivated in the country of Yemen. Afterwards, the coffee bean made its way to Turkey, where it was roasted for the first time over an open fire. In ancient times, the beans were crushed and boiled in water, resulting in a crude version of the coffee we know today.
Coffee arrived on the European continent thanks to the efforts of Venetian merchants in the 17th century. The Catholics were adamantly opposed to the consumption of coffee. In fact, they believed that the Pope should forbid the consumption of coffee, referring to it as "the drink of the Devil." The pope, on the other hand, had already developed a passion for coffee. He thought it was so good that he blessed it. Coffee shops spread like wildfire. Many great minds congregated in them for the purpose of thought and creation. In the 1700s, a French infantry captain was responsible for the introduction of coffee to the Americas. He travelled with a small plant in his possession. In the following year, it was moved to the Caribbean island of Martinique. Within 50 years, there were 19 million trees growing.
Congress proclaimed coffee to be the official national beverage of the colonised United States. In today's world, coffee is a massive global industry with more than 20 million people working in it. In terms of dollars traded worldwide, this commodity is only second to petroleum in terms of value. Every year, approximately 4 billion cups are consumed. Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet. A total of more than 3 billion coffee plants are cultivated and harvested in Brazil, providing employment for more than 5 million people.
The popularity of premium specialty coffees has skyrocketed in recent years. Sales have reached a multi-billion dollar level and are continuing to grow year after year. That, in a nutshell, is the history of coffee. A farmer's desire for more energy was the starting point for everything. Even today, the majority of the world's population begins their day with a cup of coffee. I am one of those people who can't function properly without a cup of coffee, especially first thing in the morning. I am confident that I am not the only one who enjoys it because of its widespread popularity.
