May your coffee be stronger than your daughters Attitude Shirt
The English version arose from the Dutch koffie, which, in turn, came from the Turkish kahve, whilst the Turkish word was born from the Arabic qahwah. All these words have been Romanized but you can see how our term coffee, and its translations around the world, evolved along the linage noted above.But why, coffee? Or, we might be better asking, why qahwah? This Arabic term originally defined a wine, specifically a wine which was an appetite suppressant; much like coffee is. This is the most widely accepted version as to why qahwah came to mean the drink that was produced from roasted and ground coffee beans.The Original Coffee DrinkerThe first evidence that we have of people drinking coffee is through the practices of the residences of the Sufi monasteries -Sufi is defined as “Islamic mysticism”- to help keep them awake for evening mass. From here coffee spread towards Mecca, although its use was not limited to monasteries.Coffee houses began popping up in the region, and they were places where men would meet to drink coffee, discuss the issues of the day, and smoke hookah. Coffee was also served in homes as a ceremonial act of kindness and hospitality, welcoming someone else into ones home.
May your coffee be stronger than your daughters Attitude Shirt
As coffee made its way over to Europe it began life, as every new foreign import did, as a luxury item exclusively for the rich and noble people on the continent.However, coffee spread quickly throughout society and public coffee houses emerged in many cities after a trade of coffee had been established. In these coffee houses, especially in Europe, anyone could come in a get a cup of coffee, so long as they could afford it.We’re getting a step ahead of ourselves here though, so before we begin to discuss the effects the coffeehouse had on society lets check out how coffee actually arrived in Europe, and how the Europeans spread it to the rest of the world.The Rise in the Popularity of CoffeeFrom Ethiopia and the Arabian peninsula coffee spread to northern Africa, Turkey and from there it made its way to Europe, its first port of call being Venice; a port which conducted a huge amount of trade with North Africa and the Middle East.
