The origin of coffee? I never really thought about it. And I am sure most people around us have probably never thought about it either. In this episode, you will learn about the real story of the discovery of Coffee.
If popular legend is to be believed, the first creature to enjoy the invigorating effects of Coffee was a goat.
Many years ago Kaldi (or Khalid), a young Arabian goatherd, was tending his flock when he noticed the goats leaping around in a strange fashion. As he watched he saw that this odd behaviour began after they had eaten the red berries of an unfamiliar tree. His curiosity aroused, Kaldi ate some of the fruit himself — and began to dance with his animals.
Buy Links for 'Strange Stories, Amazing Facts II':
Amazon India
Amazon USA
And don't forget to checkout Historylogy.com for latest book reviews and tidbits from the pages of history.
Please feel free to our social media ID's for latest updates. Links below:
https://www.facebook.com/historylogy/
https://twitter.com/historylogy
https://www.instagram.com/historylogy/
Affiliate Earnings Disclaimer:
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
Coming up: How a goat led to the discovery of Coffee
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
The origin of coffee? I never really thought about it. And I am sure most people around us have probably never thought about it either.
If popular legend is to be believed, the first creature to enjoy the invigorating effects of Coffee was a goat.
Many years ago Kaldi (or Khalid), a young Arabian goatherd, was tending his flock when he noticed the goats leaping around in a strange fashion. As he watched he saw that this odd behaviour began after they had eaten the red berries of an unfamiliar tree. His curiosity aroused, Kaldi ate some of the fruit himself — and began to dance with his animals.
One day a Muslim holy man stopped to stare at the cavorting group. He listened to Kaldi’s story and puzzled over it as he returned to his mosque. That night, after many hours spent praying to Allah, he dozed off. The prophet Muhammad appeared to him in a dream and told him to collect Kaldi’s berries and boil them in water; the resulting potion would keep awake those who came to worship at the mosque. The great god Allah was angry at hearing not the prayers of the faithful but only their snores as they slept, said Muhammad.
The holy man did as Muhammad instructed, and the brew proved to be a great success: the mosque became famous for its lengthy and unflagging devotional sessions.
The fame of the elixir spread beyond the temples of Islam; before long the drink could be found in almost every Arab household. Because Muhammad had forbidden the drinking of wine, the delicious beverage was indeed a godsend; Arabs named it the Wine of Araby. The Arabic for wine is qahway, a word that eventually became coffee in English.
By the 16th century Arabs had discovered that the coffee tree held another secret: the red berry contained green beans, or seeds. These they dried, roasted, ground, and simmered in water; the liquid was then strained through sil and poured into an earthen pot. Portions were reheated and served in china cups with cinnamon or cloves.
Soon throughout the Islamic world the faithful were neglecting the temples in favour of coffee-houses, which also offered singing, dancing, and gambling. Much alarmed, prominent religious leaders decided that coffee was as unholy a beverage as wine and decreed that the drinking of coffee was forbidden.
But no less a personage than the caliph of Cairo, a descendant of Muhammad and ruler of much of the Islamic world, had become a passionate coffee drinker. When news of the decree reached him, he immediately revoked it.
Thanks to his prompt action, coffee drinking again flourished. In due course the beverage was discovered by European traders who, in the 17 century, started to bring it back in quantity to refresh — and invigorate — the West.
Source: Strange Stories, Amazing Facts II (page 143) by Reader’s Digest. Will provide the respective buy links to it on Amazon India and Amazon USA.
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Historylogy podcast. Hope you learnt something new today. To know more such interesting tidbits from the pages of History, please don't forget to subscribe to the Historylogy podcast on your favourite podcasting app and check Historylogy.com for previous episodes. Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great day and take care. Bye!