History

The coffee bean’s history dates back to Africa, with its consumption as a drink starting in Ethiopia and Yemen between 800-1000 AD. A myth credits a goat herder, Khaldi, for its discovery. Historically, coffee was used for ritual purposes in Yemen around the 1450s before spreading to important Islamic cities and then globally, with the first European coffee houses opening in the mid-17th century by Armenian and Greek former residents of the Ottoman region. Coffeehouses quickly became secular social hubs, despite initial controversies, reflecting the period’s complex social fabric.