Incredible benefits of coffee beans
In ancient times, coffee beans were used to make dry rations. Illustrative photo: D.H.Everything about coffee
The book is a fascinating journey taking readers across continents and through the course of history to discover the origins, development, and far-reaching influence of one of the world's three most popular beverages.
Incredible benefits of coffee beans
When first discovered by humans, coffee beans were not used to brew beverages. People crushed them into powder, mixed them with lard, and ate them as energy provisions.
As for Ethiopians, it is said that they have known how to use coffee since ancient times, so long ago that it cannot be remembered, and today all experts on the subject agree that the coffee tree and its uses were discovered in this country.
It appears that the first group of people to use coffee berries were members of semi-wild tribes living in the highlands of Ethiopia, where the coffee plant is native, and where today it can be found growing profusely in the wild as well as being widely cultivated throughout the region.
Author Bruce, in the book Journey to discover the source of the Nile published in 1687, stated that “the Gallae are a nomadic people in Africa; forced to cross vast deserts to enter Abyssinia [1] and wishing to launch surprise attacks on the towns and villages of that country, they carried nothing to eat except the fruit of the coffee tree, roasted and pounded into powder, mixed with fat until thick enough to be rolled into balls about the size of a billiard ball, then stored in leather pouches until needed.
They claimed that eating just one such ball provided enough energy for an entire day during a raid or battle, far better than a loaf of bread or a meat meal because coffee also invigorated their spirits in addition to keeping them full.
Some assert that the coffee tree was brought from Ethiopia to Abyssinia as early as 875, while according to Lagrenie, the Abyssinians had known and used coffee since ancient times. Lagrenie cited Father Raynal, a missionary who visited the country in the late 16th century, as evidence, stating that "he gathered several coffee fruits from cultivated plants and examined them, finding them larger, somewhat longer, and just as fragrant as those obtained from Arabia."
It appears that coffee was introduced from Abyssinia into Arabia, but at what point in world history or under what circumstances remains obscure. Legends are never short of thrilling tales, recounting that coffee first appeared in Arabia thanks to an Islamic dervish.
He was banished from Moka [2] in 1275, then pursued and cornered by enemies in the nearby mountains. Legend has it that in extreme hunger, he picked and ate some coffee berries, and when he soaked some dried coffee berries in water to quench his thirst, he accidentally discovered its delicious flavor and invigorating properties.
Another Arabian legend recounts that the first person in this country to discover coffee as a nourishing beverage was an Islamic cleric named Chadeley. After being informed by a goatherd about the peculiar and intriguing effects on his herd when they happened to browse on the leaves and berries of a certain plant, he decided to test the fruit's effects on the monks under his charge, as he reportedly had great difficulty keeping them awake during nighttime ceremonies.
After concocting a drink from the fruit of the aforementioned plant, he offered it to them to drink, and the experiment was a resounding success; the monks became thoroughly enamored with this novel beverage.
Also known as Abyssinie, Abissinia, Habessinien, or Al-Habash, it is an ancient region in the Horn of Africa located in the northern highlands of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. The term was widely used as a synonym for Ethiopia until the mid-twentieth century and primarily referred to the highlands inhabited by the Amhara, Tigrayan, and Tigrinya peoples in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Moka (or Mocha, Mokha) is an ancient port city in Yemen, historically famous for being the world's largest coffee export hub during the 15th to 18th centuries.