A Brief History Of Tea And Coffee
Tea and coffee are two beverages with very rich histories. There?s a whole culture surrounding these beverages. You don?t just drink coffee or tea; usually, it?s a social event or an event invested with ritualized meaning. Here is a brief glimpse at the history of these two very significant beverages.
According to ancient legend, coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, where it grew wild. Goat herders made the realization that their goats, after eating the coffee berries, couldn?t keep still and couldn?t sleep during the night. There?s another story about a dissident who was sent into the desert to die of starvation. The man, whose name was Omar, and his disciples happened upon the coffee plant and in despair, they ate it. It was the coffee plant that saved their lives. They made it to a nearby town called Mocha, where local residents saw it as a miracle.
Coffee was first brewed in around 1000 AD, according to researchers. Sufi monasteries in Yemen in southern Arabia were said to drink coffee regularly enough for it to be mentioned. It seems that coffee made its way from Ethiopia to Egypt and Yemen. Arabians are credited with roasted and brewing coffee in the manner that we are accustomed to today. Coffee spread to the rest of the Middle East and northern Africa by the middle of the 15th century. From there it spread to Italy and the rest of Europe, then to Indonesia where it was then transported to America.
The Arabians weren?t keen to share their precious coffee beans; so in order to make sure no one else could grow them, they cooked or boiled the beans, making them infertile. However, according to one tale, an Indian by the name of Baba Budan smuggled out some fertile beans by taping them to his belly. This way, coffee arrived in Venice and spread all around Europe.
The Dutch began importing coffee in significant amounts, defying the Arab prohibition in 1616. They then took their crop to Java and Ceylon. Exports of Indonesian coffee to the Netherlands took place around 1711.
Today, coffee is drunk the world over. Brewing the perfect cup has become something of an art form. It?s not just water and beans, but rather, temperature, water quality, roast and care.
Tea has a long and varied history too. It can be traced back to ancient China. The emperor Shen Nung is credited with discovering tea about 5,000 years ago. As a wise and learned man, the emperor passed an edict that all water should be boiled before it was drank. One day, while the emperor and his court were traveling, they stopped for some water. The servants set up the pot to boil it and some dried leaves from a bush fell into it, making tea. The emperor, always inquisitive, tasted the new concoction and was delighted. This was the birth of tea.
Tea was big in ancient China. Lu Yu wrote a comprehensive book on tea in the year 800 AD describing cultivation methods, tea drinking practices and rituals. The book became very popular.
Tea was first introduced to Japan by the Buddhist priest Yeisei who had been in China and saw first hand how it enhanced meditation practices. Tea was an immediate hit. Soon an art form was erected around tea and the famed Japanese Tea Ceremony was created.
Europe came to know tea by way of a Portuguese priest who brought the drink back by way of the East in 1560. Since then tea has become very popular.
Damian Papworth adores his Krups 4 cup coffee maker. You can read his write up on the One Cup Coffee Makers site.
Tags: Beverages, coffee, Drinks, food and beverages, food and drinks, health, leisure, nutritionOctober 02 2010 | coffee | No Comments »