Did you know that the coffee that most of us consume everyday and can’t start the day without having one has a unique history? Let’s talk about this story in this article.
Coffee is thought to be discovered by a goat shepard in Ethiopia in 1500s. The shepard sees that his goats eat this plant and get energized. So, he wants to try it himself and experiences the same result. Then, he tells the monks in his village about this miraclous plant. The effect of the coffee is just what the monks are looking for, to pray for longer hours. And so, the coffee spreads through Arabic countries, Ottoman Empire, Europe and finally America.
When it was 1700s, the coffee shops had a huge popularity among the public. People gathered together at coffee shops, socializing, chatting and sharing ideas about current events. However, women weren’t allowed to spend time in those coffee shops as a result of the current social structure.
In 1674, women released a manifesto demanding that men who are under the age of 60 should be banned from spending time in coffee shops.
So, coffee was started to get negative reactions. In fact, it was prohibited for 5 times according to its known history. It was prohibited in Mecca in 1511, Italy in 16th century, Istanbul in 1623 and Prussia in 1777.
When it is considered, the coffee shops functioned as a public sphere, where people ignited the light of many great revolutions without realizing it.
In 2020, we can reach any kind of coffee easily without any prohibition. We, the coffee lovers, should consider ourselves as lucky.