Coffee is a beloved beverage all over the world. From being a morning drink to acting as an icebreaker for first-time meetups or dates, this cosy and additive delight is perfect to enjoy at any time of the day. Espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte, mocha, latte, Irish coffee and black coffee are some of the most popular types of coffee that are consumed all over the world. Today, this caffeinated drink has become a part of our daily life, but do you know the story of its origin?
The Ethiopian Legend
There are many legends around the origin of coffee but the most popular one is from the Ethiopian plateau. It is said that an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi first discovered these beloved beans. The story goes around 700 and 800 AD, when Kaldi noticed that his goats have become more energetic than usual, and they are not ready to sleep at night. He discovered that the goats had been eating small red berries from a certain plant and, after trying out the berries himself, Kaldi felt the same revitalising effects.
He reported about this to monks of a local monastery and this discovery of this energising berries began to spread. However, it was not until the 13th century that the tradition of roasting coffee beans for drinking came into existence. Before that the coffee berries were consumed as a fruit instead. Then coffee travelled to Yemen via the port of Mocha and became very popular in the region of Arabia.
Its Journey To Different Parts Of The World
Soon after the demand of this drink went high in Arabia coffee cultivation and trade started on the Arabian Peninsula. By the 15th century, its plantation began in the Yemeni district of Arabia and during the 16th century coffee reached Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.
This energy drink entered Europe by the 17th century and started becoming popular across the continent. In the mid-1600's, coffee was brought to New York by the British and by the end of the 18th century, this energy tonic became one of the most consumed beverages all over the world.
When Coffee Reached India
According to the legend coffee was brought to India by Baba Budan. He was an Indian pilgrim who smuggled seven coffee beans out of Yemen into India in the 1600s and then planted the seeds in the hills of Karnataka. In the 1700s the British entrepreneurs started its production on a commercial scale and today India is among the top ten coffee producing countries in the world. Some of the top coffee growing states in India are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.