| Coffee History |
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Coffee has its history back as far as the 9th century CE. It was said to originate from Ethiopia and spread to the rest of the world via Egypt and Europe. Over the ages, coffee has met both resistance and acceptance by many. The word Coffee is derived from the Arabic word Qah'wa over Ottoman Turkish Kahve, which originally meant wine or other intoxicating liquors. Partly due to the Islamic prohibition on drinking wine, preparing and drinking coffee became an important social ritual. In 1511 it was condemned at Mecca by a theological court. In Egypt coffeehouses and warehouses containing coffee berries were sacked. In 1524 this decision was reversed by an order of Selim I. (reference: Folk-lore of the Holy Land, Hanauer 1907, p. 291 f). From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Europe, where it became the rage in the 17th century. English coffeehouses were centers of intellectual and commercial activity. Lloyds of London, the famous insurance firm, was originally a coffeehouse. |