Here
are 10 fun facts to talk about next
time you’re standing around
the water cooler… er…
coffee pot.
1. Coffee was first discovered in
Ethiopia, however it is believed to
be first cultivated in Yemen. As Muslims
began to travel and become more integrated
between the two countries it is likely
that cultivation practices were soon
learned and brought to Ethiopia. It
is also believed that coffee was discovered
as early as the 6th century AD, however
this “theory” is often
disputed and some claim it wasn’t
until the 10th or even 15th century.
2. The word coffee comes from an
Arabic term, Qahway. The Turkish pronounce
the term “kahveh”. It
is also theorized that the Italian
term “caffe” is from the
Turkish pronunciation.
3. The French word for coffee is
“café”, the Italian
word is “caffe”, and the
German word is “kaffee”.
The Spanish say “café”
like the French, and the Danish say
“kaffe” similar to the
German word, but without the extra
e at the end. No matter how you say
it, we all love it.
4. Dark roasted coffee beans actually
hold less caffeine content than lighter
roast. This is because the longer
coffee beans are roasted, the more
the chemical caffeine is cooked/roasted
away. However, in the case of espresso
which is the longest roasted bean,
it is more concentrated thereby still
holding quite a bit of caffeine. However
on a bean to bean ratio, espresso
beans have less caffeine than a lighter
roast.
5. Coffee beans are a fruit. Well,
let’s just say they grow on
a fruit tree. Coffee plants are of
the genus Coffea, and they grow coffee
berries also called cherries due to
their red color. There are many varieties
of this plant however Arabica and
Robust are the two most known species.
6. Coffee beans grow inside coffee
berries. There are two beans per berry.
Unless it is a peaberry which is a
single whole bean. Peaberrys used
to be discarded, considered as useless
and undesirable. However it was found
that many people enjoyed the flavor
of the peaberry and now it has become
quite popular and fashionable to order
peaberry coffee such as a Kenyan Peaberry.
7. The double A (AA) rating often
refers to either the quality or the
size of the bean. AA being the best.
8. Coffee trees can be grown in
many climates from the harsh regions
of Ethiopia to the more tropical regions
of Hawaii.
9. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
is one of the most expensive coffee
beans. The coffee trees in this region
produce coffee very slowly due to
the limited sunlight. This is because
there is always heavy dense fog in
the mountain regions where the coffee
trees are grown. This slows down the
process thus lending itself to a denser
more unique bean, but also a less
produced bean creating a supply and
demand factor.
10. Coffee was originally considered
a “heathens drink” by
the Italian churchman however Pope
Clement VIII approved it. By the mid
1600’s it moved its way to Europe
then the Americas in 1668. It is thought
that the Boston Tea Party helped make
tea undesirable and coffee was there
to replace it.
Coffee is appreciated all over the
world. And it is proven by its various
methods of use. The French gave us
the French press while the Italians
give us the likes of the bialetti
stove top espresso maker.
This article was contributed by SimpleItalianCooking.com.
The website includes authentic
Italian Recipes such as roasted
garlic chicken or eggplant parmesan.
And it also offers an Italian pasta
sauce perfect for serving a nice large
pasta bowl full of spaghetti!
Don't forget no matter what kind of
meal you choose, a nice cup of coffee
always offered to friends, family
and guests ends the day just right!
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