I'm not "goating" you, well not entirely ;)
How did I get here:
While reminiscing to some friends about how much I freakin' love coffee (not surprisingly over a freshly brewed mug), I wondered:
- Just who the hell did invent coffee...?
- Who was the person who first made a coffee!?
- Where geographically did this take place...?
- Was it a single culture that invented the coffee or, was it indeed ancient knowledge passed down by Aliens lol...?
In all seriousness, I had absolutely no idea about the origins of coffee. So now I'm thinking... I can't just leave this alone can I? I've definitely got to get some answers after going this far down the rabbit hole!
Firstly
Contrary to popular belief, Herschel Coffee did not invent the coffee nor is there any public record of his existence! However, there is some "evidence" to support that goats were indeed instrumental in its discovery!
SO....
I did some quick research and I found out that goats are indeed credited with playing a significant role in the great discovery of Coffee. Yeap... Those rambunctious little bastards are apparently at least partly responsible for bringing about one of the world's greatest discoveries and most popular beverages. But how did they do it...?
So here's the story:
According to an old Ethiopian legend, a Sufi Goatherd named Kaldi witnessed his goats becoming increasingly hyperactive after eating the red fruit of the coffee shrub. It is said that Kaldi also ate the fruit and experienced exhilarating effects and was thus intrigued by the discovery.
Kaldi is also credited with discovering the coffee shrub and the story apparently dates back to around 850 AD.
What Happened Next:
I guess once Kaldi calmed down from his rush or whatever he had the wherewithal to collect some of the fruit and bring it to his Sufi Monk pal for a second opinion. At this point, his Monk friend was either envious or unimpressed or simply thought the fruit was evil (hell if I know) and apparently he threw the fruit into open flames.
Then...something interesting happened...
An overwhelming aroma began to emerge from the fire and the coffee beans were then collected from the embers. The now "roasted" coffee was ground up and infused with hot water thus creating the world's first cup of coffee! Hooray!
Following this, either Kaldi or his monk friend introduced coffee to the Islamic world were it flourished and later, it spread to the West. This is likely why the largest coffee outlets in the Middle East use or are subsidiaries of the name Kaldi
So now you know that goats invented coffee... well sort of ;)
Hope you enjoyed this little tidbit of (in all likely hood) apocryphal origins of coffee brought to you by myself and wikipedia. I also made up the bit about Herschel Coffee :)
PICTURES (Labelled for reuse):
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/3557572093
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_small_cup_of_coffee
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/jono2k5/2430065503
@jaybird
SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaldi
[DISCLAIMER]
These stories are partly made in jest and may contain both fact and fiction. In the name of humour and genuine intrigue I am presenting these ideas to the community. I am not an authority on any of these topics and the information presented in these accounts should NOT be taken at face value. Please do your own due diligence before forming an opinion. Thanks for Reading!