The history of coffee dates back to the 15th century, when it was first mentioned in reports and legends. Coffee is thought to have first originated in Ethiopia. The first known use of coffee dates back to the Sufi monasteries in Yemen, spreading soon to Mecca and Cairo. By the 16th century, it had reached the Middle East, India, Persia, Turkey and northern Africa.
The word "coffee" dates back to 1582, derived from the Dutch word "koffie." The Arabic word "qahwah" probably stemmed from the word "quwwa," which in Arabic means "power" or "energy."
Sufis is Yemen believed that coffee aided in spiritual intoxication when chanting the name God.
Coffee was first introduced to Europe via Malta. Gabriel de Clieu brought coffee seedlings to Martinique in the Caribbean in 1720.
After the Boston Tea Party, it became popular to drink coffee instead of tea as a sign of patriotism.
Coffee is brewed from the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species, native to tropical Africa. The ideal conditions for coffee trees to grow are along the Equatorial zone know as the "Bean Belt," between latitudes 25 degrees North and 30 degrees South.
Some areas of Ethiopia still produce wild coffee trees.
Coffee is the second-most traded commodity in the world, only behind petroleum.
Drinking coffee can reduce the risk of developing cancer, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and heart disease.
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