Origins of Coffee: From Ethiopia to the Arab World

Coffee has a long and storied history that begins on the plateaus of central Ethiopia. Its origins are likely traced to either the Ethiopian province of Kaffa in the southwestern highlands or the plateaus of central Ethiopia, where the coffee plant was first discovered growing wild around 600 AD. The term “coffee” is believed to be derived from “Kaffa,” underscoring the region’s importance in the story of coffee. The wild coffee plants were not just a part of the natural landscape but an integral component of Ethiopian culture, as early inhabitants recognized the potential of this plant long before it became a global commodity.

By around A.D. 1000, Ethiopian Arabs began to collect the coffee fruit, also known as cherries, from these wild trees. They made a rudimentary beverage by boiling the beans or chewing the raw berries for energy. Some accounts suggest that the beans were crushed and mixed with animal fat to create compact, energy-rich snacks, illustrating early recognition of coffee’s stimulant properties. This form of consumption, though crude by modern standards, reflects the ingenuity of early peoples in harnessing the power of the coffee bean.

It wasn’t until the fifteenth century that coffee made its way out of Ethiopia, with traders bringing wild coffee trees to southern Arabia. It is believed that Sudanese slaves played a key role in this transfer, consuming coffee berries on their arduous journeys. Coffee’s reputation as a powerful stimulant grew as it spread across the Arab world. The eastern Arabs, the first to cultivate coffee domestically, developed the process of roasting and grinding beans to create a hot, aromatic beverage. The rapid establishment of coffeehouses, or “qahveh khaneh,” became a hallmark of Arab culture, where social gatherings, intellectual conversations, and cultural exchanges thrived, marking coffee’s profound impact on society.
Origins of Coffee: From Ethiopia to the Arab World