As you sip your cup of
morning joe or cappuccino, don't forget to thank goats. Why? Because, legend
has it, it's thanks to them that we even have coffee. As the story goes, an
Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi was minding his own business one day when he found
his charges getting super-frisky. They were nibbling on the berries and leaves
of a mysterious plant, leading them to dance on their hind legs. Kaldi decided
to take a bite of the berries and experienced a rush of energy. He took the
berries to a holy man who tossed them on a fire, emitting the heavenly scent of
coffee we know and love today. Someone wise took the roasted beans from the
embers of the fire and used them to brew a cup of what we guzzle today! The
word "coffee" itself may derive from the Ethiopian region of Kaffa,
though Yemenites claim their country as the place of origin. Look at this
gorgeous cup of cappuccino! Thanks, goats.
Whether or not goats
actually led humans to discover coffee, Ethiopia was one place with a strong
coffee history. The first written reference to coffee came in the tenth
century, courtesy of the great Persian doctor named Rhazes, author of one
thousand books, though the drink was probably made for centuries beforehand.
Rhazes referred to bunn, as it was referred to in Ethiopia, of which he
quipped, “It is a drink that is good for those with hot nature, but it
decrease[s] the libido." Unfortunately, this probably wasn't the exact
same kind of brew that we drink today, which didn't appear for another few
centuries.
Feature image via World
on a Fork Written by Carly Silver, HistoryBuff http://stst.io/xnikc7mvy6YhGvBbD