Ethiopian Coffee History

Enterprising arab traders return to their homeland now modern day yemen with coffee from ethiopia.

Ethiopian coffee history. There legend says the goat herder kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans. The earliest substantiated evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree is from the early 15th century in the sufi monasteries of yemen spreading soon to mecca and medipol. Modern ethiopian coffee history coffee wasn t cultivated in ethiopia until the 1500 s though some scholars believe it was cultivated in modern day yemen as early as 600 ad. Kaldi s story does coincide with the commonly held belief that coffee cultivation began in ethiopia during the ninth century the yemenite origin points to an earlier date.

Kaldi was a goat herder who discovered coffee after witnessing the vigor that his goats received from eating the cherries. This initial cultivation was very small in scale. A storied origin though we consider the coffee origin story of a goatherd named kaldi and his frolicking goats a myth the french version says they were prancing and even executing lively pirouettes this story of how coffee was discovered has persisted for centuries. The coffee plant coffea arabica originates in ethiopia.

It is called qahwa or that which prevents sleep. Ethiopian coffee history it is thought that the legendary character of kaldi would have existed around 850 a d. By the 16th century it had reached the rest of the middle. The history of coffee dates back to the 15th century and possibly earlier with a number of reports and legends surrounding its first use.

Kaffa the province in the south western highlands where they first blossomed gave its name to coffee. However some believe that coffee was cultivated as early as 575 a d. They cultivate the plant for the first time on plantations and create a most satisfying uplifting drink by boiling the beans in water. Ethiopian coffee history that legend did not appear in writing until 1671 and most accounts date kaldi to 850 so it s hard to say how much is truth and myth.

Before coffee beans were just harvested from coffee plants growing naturally across the country. Abyssinia now ethiopia is the original home of the coffee arabica plant. Many experts say that ethiopia is the only place that coffee grew natively and the apocryphal story of kaldi is told over and over. This account coincides with the commonly held belief that coffee cultivation began in ethiopia around the ninth century.

The formal cultivation and use of coffee as a beverage began early in the 9th century.