Coffee is one of the most ancient drinks known to mankind. In the Middle East, it has been drunk since time immemorial. That is why it is not known exactly where the fried grains of this plant began to be consumed for the first time. But there are some pretty plausible theories on this score.
Oromo peoples - pioneers of coffee
According to most assumptions, the ancient peoples of Oromo, who lived on the site of modern Ethiopia, were the first to notice that a drink made from coffee beans has an invigorating effect. If so, then Ethiopia can be considered the birthplace of coffee, as most lovers of a fragrant drink think. True, there is no direct evidence of this.
But there is a beautiful legend according to which, around 850, the shepherd Caldim discovered the wonderful properties of coffee and shared it with his fellow tribesmen. But since the legend appeared only in the 17th century, many researchers consider it more of an epic than even the slightest bit reliable historical evidence. Plus, there is no evidence of Caldim's existence.
Spreading coffee
After Ethiopia, coffee began to be drunk also in other countries: Egypt and Yemen were the first to adopt the tradition. Sufis from the monasteries of Yemen, as the chronicles testify, were already drinkers. Soon coffee spreads throughout the Near and Middle East. It was there that European merchants first tried it, after which the drink first reached Western Europe, and then quickly spreads throughout the world.
Nowadays coffee is grown all over the world. According to its varieties, it is divided into three main geographic zones: African, Asian and American.
History of coffee making
At the dawn of the development of coffee culture, the drink was prepared in a completely different way than today. The shell of the coffee beans was dried and then made into a decoction. Then it occurred to someone to lightly fry this peel so that the taste was richer. Perhaps it happened by accident: someone was just in a hurry to dry the coffee, but on hot stones things should have gone faster. So along with drying, the tradition of roasting coffee came into the world.
Nevertheless, the culture of brewing was far from modern: to prepare a drink, dried and fried casings from coffee beans were poured into water and boiled for about half an hour.
Coffee in Europe
In Europe, coffee was used, among other things, as a medicine. It was believed to help with indigestion and headaches. In women, some doctors thought, coffee helps to heal the blues and the "demon in the head." In some European countries, coffee was widespread, while in others, at the same time, it was considered a harmful and "demonic" drink. Some priests were convinced that the spirit of the Islamic religion penetrates into a person along with coffee.
Among the Christian clergy there were also true adherents of this drink, So, cappuccino was invented precisely by the Capuchin monks, who first came up with the idea of whipping milk with hot steam in order to get the foam, so beloved by coffee lovers all over the world today.
