Coffee, a beverage that can now be enjoyed everywhere and captivates many with its profound depth.
The crops that are its raw material have a dramatic history, spreading their cultivation to Africa, Central and South America, and Asia through a story shrouded in all sorts of secrets, including "theft" and "deception."
This time, I would like to introduce the world of this fascinating history of coffee cultivation.
The Origin of Coffee
When did humanity first encounter the "coffee tree," the plant that produces the raw material for coffee?
This mystery has yet to be solved. Although humans began drinking coffee around the 15th century, there are no documents or evidence that clearly state when humanity and coffee trees first met.
However, there are two famous legends about the encounter between humans and coffee. Let's introduce these two first!
The Legend of Kaldi the Goat Herder
Among the two, the most famous is "The Legend of Kaldi the Goat Herder." A certain famous coffee and imported food company's name comes from this legend. The story goes something like this...
A young goat herder named Kaldi took his goats to the mountains. He saw his goats excitedly eating red berries from a bush, so he tried them himself and felt his fatigue disappear and his energy return. A monk who happened to witness this took note of the effect and later spread it among the people.
This is the story. The way the monk appears varies, such as "happening to pass by" or "hearing rumors," and all of them are somewhat vague.
The Legend of Sheikh Omar
While perhaps less known than the story of Kaldi, this is also a tale related to the discovery of coffee.
A hermit named Sheikh Omar, who had been exiled from his town for a crime he didn't commit, was wandering in the mountains. Unable to bear his hunger, he tried eating some red berries from a tree and found his fatigue was relieved.
There are various versions of this story, such as "he later saved people from illness with a soup made from the berries" or "a small bird led him to the coffee tree," which also shows the ambiguity inherent in folklore.
These two are famous legends about the discovery of coffee, but it is true that they are, after all, legends and lack credibility. However...
Discovered in the mountains
Red berries
Had stimulating and fatigue-relieving effects
These three points resonate with coffee, and it's interesting that they can't be dismissed as complete fiction.
Deception, Theft, and the Spread of Coffee
Coffee first gained attention and widespread knowledge around the 15th century, when some Sufi Muslims drank it during rituals. The Ottoman Empire, seeing its popularity, began large-scale coffee cultivation in Yemen. Initially, coffee was considered an exclusive crop, with the export of viable seeds forbidden. However, cultivation gradually began in other countries.
So, how did this exclusive crop spread throughout the world? The answer was "theft." Coffee tree seeds and seedlings were stolen through various methods, and coffee cultivation spread globally. Let's look at the stories of four individuals who pioneered the spread of coffee to the wide regions where it is grown today!
A Detour during Pilgrimage: Baba Budan
Baba Budan was an Islamic saint who brought coffee to India. During his pilgrimage, he secretly obtained coffee seeds in Mocha, which was the gateway for coffee exports. He successfully smuggled these seeds out by tying them to his stomach! He brought them back to India and successfully cultivated them, but unfortunately, all his trees were destroyed by a disease called rust.
Acquired Through Manipulation: Gabriel de Clieu
Gabriel de Clieu was a French naval officer. He was a very cunning and shrewd individual. He seduced and charmed a young noblewoman, an accompanying royal physician, and used that connection to secretly obtain a coffee seedling. De Clieu planted this seedling on the small Caribbean island of Martinique, and the large coffee tree that grew from it is said to have been one of the beginnings of Central and South American coffee.
The Ex-Convict, Mourgues
The third person is an ex-convict. In the early 18th century, Mourgues committed a crime in French Guiana and fled to Suriname (Dutch Guiana). At that time, French Guiana, which wanted to produce coffee, was struggling to obtain coffee from its neighboring country Suriname, where coffee had already arrived. Mourgues saw this situation and offered a deal: "I will steal coffee trees from Suriname in exchange for a pardon." He successfully stole the coffee trees, making coffee cultivation possible in French Guiana, as they had desired.
A Passionate Theft: Francisco de Melo Palheta
He is said to be the person who brought coffee to Brazil, now a major coffee-producing nation, and his method was filled with passion. Melo Palheta was sent as an arbitrator to a meeting between the conflicting French Guiana and Suriname, but he had a secret mission: "to bring back coffee trees." There, he seduced the French consul's wife and developed a close relationship. When she learned of his mission, she handed him a bouquet containing coffee seedlings as a farewell gift. Those seedlings were the beginning of Brazil becoming a major coffee-producing nation.
At first glance, the "spread of coffee" they were involved in could be seen as criminal acts of deception and theft. One might wonder if it was necessary to go to such lengths, but given the current state of coffee, loved worldwide and still evolving, it can be said that their actions were by no means in vain.
The history we have looked at so far is the spread of coffee "cultivation," but the history of coffee "consumption" is also very interesting!
More details next time... stay tuned!
