Most agree that coffee had been used as a beverage or food in Ethiopia long before the stories of its “discovery” began circulating. Coincidently, the first discovery of coffee trees and coffee as wild plants was in the Kaffa region, located in south central Ethiopia, where coffee trees are abundantly loaded with their red “olives” under the care of benevolent nature and abundant sun to this very day. Scientific theories and archaeological discoveries such as the mummy scientists named “Lucy” suggest the emergence of Neanderthals in central East Africa. The story is a great mixture of fact and fantasy, contradictions, myths, and tales - just like real life. Not surprisingly, the facts of the story link history geographically between the place of origin of coffee and the beginnings of human evolution. This article is the first part of a summary from that colorful history.Ĭoffee now grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau, where legend says a goat herder first discovered the potential of these beloved beans. From its humble beginnings in tribal Ethiopia to its religious use by the Sufis in Yemen, on the back of the Ottoman Empire until its Western foundation, the coffee bean would see an empire rise and fall, cross religious boundaries, and help new nations such as the United States, India, Indonesia, and South America develop into major trading powers.Ībove all, thanks to the role of the humble coffee house, the modern world discovered an age of intellectual advancement emphasized by the evolution of the police force, an insurance system, stock exchange, and a multitude of corporate societies. The study of the history of coffee, the discovery of its origin, and the adventures of its spread constitute an interesting cinematic story, an epic film with tales of love and revenge, shepherds, sheep, kings, magicians, pirates and sailors, sacrifice, seduction, controversy, political and religious persecution, popes, saboteurs, savage rulers, sleepy monks, songs, and pirouetting goats. No one knows exactly how or when coffee was discovered, though there are many legends about its origin.
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