Coffee Myths
Written by Ari Cohen
According to Legend, coffee was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia when a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that his goats could not sleep after eating the berries from a certain tree. Kaldi then went to his local monastery, who was fascinated by this discovery. The abbot of the monastery brewed a concoction with the berries and discovered that it kept him awake and alert through the long hours of prayer. He then shared his creation with other monks, and coffee was born.
Coffee has been around since the 16th century and has been an essential part of everyday life throughout the world. Naturally, as with anything this old, stories and legends have been created to explain its appearance. Although the exact origin can not be traced, many different cultures and communities have myths to define its origins. It is a product that brings people joy and as a result the stories around it are important factors of different people’s cultures.
The Arabians believe that Coffee was first discovered by Sudanese slaves who used the berries to survive their passage to Ethiopia. The Arabians use this story as an explanation to how coffee arrived in Ethiopia. In order to claim coffee they use stories of hardship and suffering to show how coffee improved their lives for the better.
The storied significance of coffee was even relevant in America where during the American Revolution the Americans drank coffee in order to avoid British Tea. Before the Revolution tea dominated cafes and social non alcoholic drinking however the revolt against British forced the Americans to have a preference towards Coffee, a part of American culture that still exists today.
Coffee does not just play a role in cultural history but also in Religious history. According to Islamic legend it was one of their Sheikh’s who discovered coffee. After boiling some berries in Mocha, Yemen he discovered that the concoction created a stimulating and healing effect. The coffee trade started in Yemen and played a huge role in the creation of their economy, as a result the dominant Religion wanted to take credit for its creation, and provide a positive view on the crop.
In Islamic myth it is even believed that Muhammad was visitied by the Archangel Gabriel and gifted coffee which helped him slay 40 enemies. In fact, coffee is often associated with Muhammad in Islamic countries and often accompanies birthday celebrations. People often believed it is a powerful substance, so powerful that the most important prophet to Islam benefited from its consumption.
It was not uncommon for Religious leaders to try and ban coffee because of the “radical” and outside thinking they believed it created. In 1511 coffee was banned in Mecca because the religious leaders there believed it stimulated radical thinking. Later that century clergymen in Italy proclaimed it Satanic, however it was believed that Pope Clement VIII became such a fan after trying it that he claimed it should be baptized. As a result of his blessing coffee houses began to spread throughout Europe.
Even in the modern day in Ethiopia many of the citizens believe that there are forests where people can go and pick coffee berries. Although wild coffee does exist in Ethiopia, the idea of mythical coffee forests is greatly exaggerated, the wild coffee is almost always managed by farmers. Although these forests do not exactly exist as a source of pride for Ethiopians who believe their land is the origin and epicenter of the world’s coffee, it provides a large basis for its cultural values.
Although it is likely that coffee first originated in Ethiopia and the trade began in Yemen around 600 years ago, the actual origin is not important. It is the stories and legends in each individual community that create a bond and form the coffee industry. The more involved a region feels in this earth shattering trade the more essential it is to world culture, which as a result has kept the industry strong and prosperous for nearly 600 years.