According to legend, Arabian coffee-drinking began almost 12 centuries ago (850
A.D.). An Abyssinian goat herder named Khalid noticed that, during the afternoon
when the sun
made him drowsy, his flock frolicked and skipped
about after nibbling at some berries. Khalid either
ate the berries whole, or ground and boiled them.
Photograph courtesy
Coffee Research. Acknowledged
and used with thanks.
When his wife saw how energetic the normally
exhausted Khalid was, she urged him to share this
miraculous discovery with the local holy man at the
monastery. The chief monk did not share Khalid's
enthusiasm. Declaring the berries "the work of the
Devil," he flung them into a fire to banish their
offending presence. Soon the room filled with the delicious aroma of roasting berries, and other monks
hurried in to discover the source of this new delight.
The chief monk retrieved the smouldering berries, deposited them in water and
instructed the
other monks to sip the elixir. As they drank it down heartily, they experienced
the clarity and
vigour Khalid had described. The brew was proclaimed a miracle and was then used
to keep
them awake during their evening prayers.
