A cup is remembered for forty years and has a great effect on waking up in the morning. Coffee, which is an indispensable beverage in world and Turkish culture, has been consumed fondly by people for centuries. Well, what happened to coffee, which is a fruit in its own right, that it has come to this day? Let’s take a closer look at the extraordinary journey of coffee.
With its dozens of different types and dozens of different cooking methods, coffee, which has a special place in every culture of the world today, has an important place in Turkish culture and even has a special way of cooking called Turkish coffee. the seed of the fruit of a cherry tree-like tree How did coffee become the subject of idioms, proverbs and songs today? Has it become a beverage?
Although it is thought that coffee has been drunk since the beginning of humanity, it actually has a history of several centuries, which is quite new compared to many of the foods and beverages we consume. The historical journey of coffee, which is called an enjoyable beverage, and the story of its spread to the world are just as unusual. Bride what is coffee, how has it spread in the world and in Turkish culture Let’s take a closer look at the questions.
First of all, let’s get to know what coffee is:
The Kaffa region in Ethiopia, which is considered to be the place where the coffee tree was first found, is Arabic. Qahwah pronounced as. Before Qahwah word, It was used to mean an enjoyable drink. However, with the spread of coffee to the world, this word has been translated into Turkish. coffee, to other languages cafe, caffe, koffie, coffee, koffie, kaffee entered in the form.
The coffee tree, which has white and fragrant flowers resembling cherry blossoms, has small and red fruits like cherry when it bears fruit. The coffee tree that begins to bear fruit 3 years after planting It can bear fruit for 40 years. These trees, which grow up to 10 meters in their natural state, are pruned to 5 meters for easy harvesting.
The coffee tree is not a tree suitable for growing in all climates. The temperature is constantly between 18 – 24 degrees and It needs a climate where frost events are not seen. It is moisture-loving and needs tropical soil with regular rainfall. Lands such as Ethiopia, Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia are considered to be the regions where the most delicious coffees are grown today.
The coffee tree has a property that is considered magical by many; It gets the taste of different plants in the region where it grows. E.g If it grows with banana trees, it will have a banana-flavored taste. After the coffee tree is harvested and the beans are removed, these beans are packaged in raw form and exported to different parts of the world. Places that buy coffee roast and grind these raw beans as they wish.
Who drank the first coffee?
Although there are some rumors about who drank or rather ate the first coffee, the oldest known story dates back to the 8th century. A shepherd named Kaldi living in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia, He saw that goats were much more active after eating the fruits of a plant, and then he ate these plants himself. Filled with energy by the effect of caffeine, the shepherd spread the news to everyone.
The person who is thought to drink coffee in real terms is Sheikh Şazili, an Ethiopian Arab who lived in the 14th century. Şazili, a Sufi sheikh, to stay vigorous and alert before the night’s worship It is thought that he drank coffee and transferred this habit to his followers.
According to Al-Jaziri, a writer and poet, the first person to drink coffee was ez-Zebhani, who lived in the 16th century. ez-Zebhani, who discovered coffee in Ethiopia, He fell ill when he returned from the city of Aden, Yemen. Ez-Zebhani, who cooks the coffee beans he buys by grinding, discovers the energizing side of coffee when he feels that he is starting to heal.
According to another rumor, the first person to drink coffee is Hz. It is Süleyman. During his travels, he saw that people were sick in a city. Hz. Solomon, receiving news from Gabriel, roasts and cooks the coffee beans that came from Yemen. Patients who drink the coffee they cook recover quickly.
How did the Ottoman Empire meet with coffee?
Coffee has been in Ethiopia for many years It was boiled in the form of fruit and drunk for medicinal purposes. After it was recognized in the Arabian Peninsula, it continued to be used in the same way for 300 years. In the 14th century, a Sufi sect in Yemen roasted and processed coffee. It was later seen that coffee was drunk in Aden in 1470, in Cairo in 1510, and in Mecca in 1511.
The arrival of coffee in the Ottoman Empire was in the 16th century during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Yemen Governor Özdemir Pasha, who brought the coffee he drank and loved in Yemen to Istanbul. Thanks to this, this drink was accepted as reputable and started to be drunk by the people of the palace. Even the officials with the title of Kahvecibaşı, who were in charge of cooking coffee, emerged in this period.
Although it is not known how, coffee succeeded in reaching the table of the people after a while. People take it raw After roasting the coffee beans in a pan, he would grind them in a mortar and cook them in a cezve. This flavor has become one of the indispensables of all people in a short time.
The first coffeehouse in the Ottoman Empire was opened by two Syrians in the Tahtakale district of Istanbul in 1544. Of course coffee Whether it is religiously objectionable because it is an enjoyable substance. has caused controversy. With the fatwa of Şeyhülislam Bostanzade Mehmet Efendi, in which he said that coffee is not harmful but beneficial, the way for coffeehouse culture was paved.
How did the rest of the world meet coffee?
Our country, which has served as a bridge between east and west throughout history, has also fulfilled this duty in coffee. Venetian merchants who came to Istanbul They met with coffee in 1615 and took this delicious beverage to Europe.
The first coffee shops were opened in Italy in 1645, in Paris in 1643 and in London in 1651. These places over time It has become a frequent destination for artists and students. The Netherlands opened the doors of a new era for the whole world by starting coffee farming in the Indonesian island of Java and the East Indies in 1712.
It has a unique place in Turkish culture and in the world. We examined the historical journey of coffee and we talked about how this delicious drink has gained a place in every part of the world. Now that our article is over, you can make a coffee.