Knowra History of coffee History of coffee The history of coffee traces the spread of coffee plants, trade, preparation, and coffeehouse culture from their early cultivation in Ethiopia and Yemen to global consumption.
Coffee : A drink made by brewing roasted seeds, called beans, from plants in the genus Coffea. The plant and drink at the center of this history.
Coffee cultivation : The farming of Coffea plants for their fruit and seeds. Plantations and smallholdings reshaped landscapes as demand moved beyond Yemen.
Kaldi : A legendary Ethiopian goatherd credited in a popular story with discovering coffee’s energizing effects. The tale reflects later attempts to explain coffee’s beginnings, not established history.
Coffeehouse culture : Social practices and institutions centered on gathering, conversation, and activity in coffeehouses. Coffeehouses became venues for news, commerce, debate, and political organizing.
Tea : A drink made by infusing processed leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis in hot water. Tea competed with coffee for consumers and became a defining drink in other commercial and imperial histories.
Ethiopia : A country in the Horn of Africa with ancient highland societies and diverse coffee-growing regions. Coffee’s wild ancestors are native to its forests, though the earliest use is uncertain.
Coffee processing : The removal of fruit and moisture from harvested coffee seeds before roasting. Processing methods affected how beans could be stored, transported, and sold.
Sufi : A range of Islamic mystical traditions emphasizing spiritual discipline and devotion. Sufi communities in Yemen used coffee to remain alert during nighttime religious practices.
Café : A public place serving coffee and other refreshments, often as a setting for social life. European cafés adapted coffeehouse traditions into a lasting urban institution.
Chocolate : A food and drink made from processed seeds of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. Like coffee, chocolate became a traded stimulant and a feature of European public venues.
Show all 29