Having spent the last few months researching both sweet and savoury baked goods, we thought this month would be a great time to take a quick coffee break.
From breakfast to dessert, whether during a train commute to work or a relaxing afternoon watching the world go by, coffee is well respected and loved by many. According to statistics we consume over 500 billion cups of coffee per day worldwide.
But how did a culture develop around a drink that would eventually take over the world? This month Vintage Bakehouse researches coffee; it's origins and its global influence.
Coffee was first discovered during the 11th century in the East African region of Ethiopia. Legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered the energising properties of the coffee berries when his goats barely slept at night after feeding on them throughout the day. Kaldi decided to share his findings with the local Abbot who used the berries to make a drink and found that it kept him alert during long hours of evening prayer.
The humble herders discovery of these little magic berries led to a revolution and Ethiopia developed the very first 'coffee culture' experience, albeit very different to what we know here in Europe today. At a special ceremony, the coffee served is anything but 'instant'. Raw coffee beans are roasted on a flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove until black in colour and filling the air with a heady aroma. Then, the beans are ground in a pestle and mortar and stirred in black clay coffee pot, locally known as a Jabena. After being strained through a sieve several times, the coffee is then poured gracefully from a height of roughly one foot into tiny china cups and then taken with plenty of sugar or salt, but never with milk. in most parts of Ethiopia , this ceremony takes place at least three times a day and, including the preparation, can last a few hours. the entire process from beginning to end is said to be a spiritual experience through the 'Abol' (first round), 'Tona' (second round) and 'Baraka' (third round). Still practiced in Ethiopia today, the 'coffee ceremony' has become not only a fundamental part of its social and cultural living, but also the perfect example of Ethiopian hospitality.
By the mid 14th century, coffee had spread throughout the Arabian Peninsular and ad reached Yemen. Qahwa, the Arabic word given for coffee, was well cultivated in this region due t it's climate and fertile soil. By the early 1500's, coffee had spread throughout most of the Arab world to countries such as Egypt, Mecca and Syria's cosmopolitan city, Aleppo.
However, not everyone felt so passionate about this new revolution. In Mecca, Cairo and Istanbul, attempts were made by religious authorities to ban the drink, through fears that its affects were intoxicating and similar to that of Alcohol. After many heated debates, disputes and further attempts to condemn the beverage, the Sultan of Cairo demanded that the drink should not be banned. This then became the rule across the Arab world.
Clusters of coffee houses continued to grow throughout the Arab states and became institutions where men would get together and talk, listen to poems and play games such as chess and backgammon.
By 1554 coffee started making it's appearances in Istanbul, Turkey. At this time, coffee was seen to have great nutritional benefits and upon it's arrival in Istanbul, experienced another development in its preparation. Here, the beans were roasted, finely ground and then slowly cooked in water. First introduced by the 'Chief Coffee Maker' of the Ottoman Palace, this new method of brewing coffee spread quickly from the palace kitchen to grand mansions and then finally to the average Turkish home where the coffee beans were roasted on pans, ground in mortars and then brewed in coffee pots known as 'cezve'.
Merchants and travellers had become au fait with coffee's distinctive taste and culture during their time travelling in Turkey and bought it to Europe in the 1600's. Coffee was first sold at lemonade vending machines in Venice and then, following a growth in popularity, Italy's first coffee house opened in 1683. Italian monks, however, believed that coffee was a 'Muslim brew' and requested that pope clement VIII have it outlawed. The pope refused to d this, baptising the drink and thus propelling coffee further across Europe.
Surprisingly, England's first acquaintance with coffee was actually before the opening of Italy's first coffee house. In 1637 coffee was introduced to Oxford by a Turk. In 1650 Oxford then became home to the UK's first coffee house and within 10 years, the UK had adopted coffee culture. People would pay one penny to sit in a coffee house, drink coffee and take with them discussions and exhibitions on poetry, art, politics and philosophy from some of societies most cultured, educated and prestigious people. The coffee house then became known as 'Penny Universities'.
Historians claim that by the early 18th century, there were over 500 coffee houses open in London. Unlike today, these establishments were very individual in character. Some floated on the Thames, whilst others had walls adorned with exotic taxidermy. Other coffee houses engaged in services and entertainment that would be today be considered unlawful: Whilst some provided a directory and directions for prostitutes and the nearest brothels, others, such as the famous Haxton Square Coffee house, welcomed people to enjoy a coffee whilst witnessing a suspected madman being tied up and wheeled into the coffee room. A jury of the coffee drinkers would then prod and talk to the alleged 'lunatic' and the customers would then vote on whether to incarcerate the accused in one of the local madhouses.
Those of us that have become accustomed to the taste of coffee today, would find the taste of eighteenth century coffee completely unpalatable and for good reason. During this time, many compared the silky smooth tones of the beverage we know and love today to ink, soot, mud, damp and most commonly, excrement. Nevertheless, the mental and physical boost given when drinking it was great for punctuating the working day.
There is a great deal that has continued to change about coffee and how we drink it today. Industry giants such as Starbucks, Café Nero and Costa have supported the development of a uniformed approach to the culture of drinking coffee in the UK and other parts of the world. Whilst we may feel that the social element of coffee drinking has lost much of its character, we can certainly be grateful for the way in which the drink itself has evolved. Coffee production and coffee farming is now the economic livelihood of over 25 million people worldwide, with cultivation in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. This means that, as coffee drinkers we have much more variety available. It is also important to recognise how trade and embracing the teachings of coffee preparation from other cultures has given us a much more sophisticated approach. Because of this, the likes of Cappuccinos, Lattes, Mochas, Espressos or even a regular instant coffee, are much more enjoyable to drink than the 'excrement' tasting coffees of the eighteenth century.
Image sourced from:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/194077065166044162/
Blog content sourced from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_culture
http://www.turkishcoffeeworld.com/History_of_Coffee_s/60.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/9032229/Cafe-culture-comes-to-London.html
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/foodmeetsdrinks/a/ClassicCoffeePairings.htm
http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-the-coffee-industry-2011-11?op=1
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html
From breakfast to dessert, whether during a train commute to work or a relaxing afternoon watching the world go by, coffee is well respected and loved by many. According to statistics we consume over 500 billion cups of coffee per day worldwide.
But how did a culture develop around a drink that would eventually take over the world? This month Vintage Bakehouse researches coffee; it's origins and its global influence.
Coffee was first discovered during the 11th century in the East African region of Ethiopia. Legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered the energising properties of the coffee berries when his goats barely slept at night after feeding on them throughout the day. Kaldi decided to share his findings with the local Abbot who used the berries to make a drink and found that it kept him alert during long hours of evening prayer.
The humble herders discovery of these little magic berries led to a revolution and Ethiopia developed the very first 'coffee culture' experience, albeit very different to what we know here in Europe today. At a special ceremony, the coffee served is anything but 'instant'. Raw coffee beans are roasted on a flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove until black in colour and filling the air with a heady aroma. Then, the beans are ground in a pestle and mortar and stirred in black clay coffee pot, locally known as a Jabena. After being strained through a sieve several times, the coffee is then poured gracefully from a height of roughly one foot into tiny china cups and then taken with plenty of sugar or salt, but never with milk. in most parts of Ethiopia , this ceremony takes place at least three times a day and, including the preparation, can last a few hours. the entire process from beginning to end is said to be a spiritual experience through the 'Abol' (first round), 'Tona' (second round) and 'Baraka' (third round). Still practiced in Ethiopia today, the 'coffee ceremony' has become not only a fundamental part of its social and cultural living, but also the perfect example of Ethiopian hospitality.
By the mid 14th century, coffee had spread throughout the Arabian Peninsular and ad reached Yemen. Qahwa, the Arabic word given for coffee, was well cultivated in this region due t it's climate and fertile soil. By the early 1500's, coffee had spread throughout most of the Arab world to countries such as Egypt, Mecca and Syria's cosmopolitan city, Aleppo.
However, not everyone felt so passionate about this new revolution. In Mecca, Cairo and Istanbul, attempts were made by religious authorities to ban the drink, through fears that its affects were intoxicating and similar to that of Alcohol. After many heated debates, disputes and further attempts to condemn the beverage, the Sultan of Cairo demanded that the drink should not be banned. This then became the rule across the Arab world.
Clusters of coffee houses continued to grow throughout the Arab states and became institutions where men would get together and talk, listen to poems and play games such as chess and backgammon.
By 1554 coffee started making it's appearances in Istanbul, Turkey. At this time, coffee was seen to have great nutritional benefits and upon it's arrival in Istanbul, experienced another development in its preparation. Here, the beans were roasted, finely ground and then slowly cooked in water. First introduced by the 'Chief Coffee Maker' of the Ottoman Palace, this new method of brewing coffee spread quickly from the palace kitchen to grand mansions and then finally to the average Turkish home where the coffee beans were roasted on pans, ground in mortars and then brewed in coffee pots known as 'cezve'.
Merchants and travellers had become au fait with coffee's distinctive taste and culture during their time travelling in Turkey and bought it to Europe in the 1600's. Coffee was first sold at lemonade vending machines in Venice and then, following a growth in popularity, Italy's first coffee house opened in 1683. Italian monks, however, believed that coffee was a 'Muslim brew' and requested that pope clement VIII have it outlawed. The pope refused to d this, baptising the drink and thus propelling coffee further across Europe.
Surprisingly, England's first acquaintance with coffee was actually before the opening of Italy's first coffee house. In 1637 coffee was introduced to Oxford by a Turk. In 1650 Oxford then became home to the UK's first coffee house and within 10 years, the UK had adopted coffee culture. People would pay one penny to sit in a coffee house, drink coffee and take with them discussions and exhibitions on poetry, art, politics and philosophy from some of societies most cultured, educated and prestigious people. The coffee house then became known as 'Penny Universities'.
Historians claim that by the early 18th century, there were over 500 coffee houses open in London. Unlike today, these establishments were very individual in character. Some floated on the Thames, whilst others had walls adorned with exotic taxidermy. Other coffee houses engaged in services and entertainment that would be today be considered unlawful: Whilst some provided a directory and directions for prostitutes and the nearest brothels, others, such as the famous Haxton Square Coffee house, welcomed people to enjoy a coffee whilst witnessing a suspected madman being tied up and wheeled into the coffee room. A jury of the coffee drinkers would then prod and talk to the alleged 'lunatic' and the customers would then vote on whether to incarcerate the accused in one of the local madhouses.
Those of us that have become accustomed to the taste of coffee today, would find the taste of eighteenth century coffee completely unpalatable and for good reason. During this time, many compared the silky smooth tones of the beverage we know and love today to ink, soot, mud, damp and most commonly, excrement. Nevertheless, the mental and physical boost given when drinking it was great for punctuating the working day.
There is a great deal that has continued to change about coffee and how we drink it today. Industry giants such as Starbucks, Café Nero and Costa have supported the development of a uniformed approach to the culture of drinking coffee in the UK and other parts of the world. Whilst we may feel that the social element of coffee drinking has lost much of its character, we can certainly be grateful for the way in which the drink itself has evolved. Coffee production and coffee farming is now the economic livelihood of over 25 million people worldwide, with cultivation in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. This means that, as coffee drinkers we have much more variety available. It is also important to recognise how trade and embracing the teachings of coffee preparation from other cultures has given us a much more sophisticated approach. Because of this, the likes of Cappuccinos, Lattes, Mochas, Espressos or even a regular instant coffee, are much more enjoyable to drink than the 'excrement' tasting coffees of the eighteenth century.
Image sourced from:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/194077065166044162/
Blog content sourced from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_culture
http://www.turkishcoffeeworld.com/History_of_Coffee_s/60.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/9032229/Cafe-culture-comes-to-London.html
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/foodmeetsdrinks/a/ClassicCoffeePairings.htm
http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-the-coffee-industry-2011-11?op=1
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html