Coffee legends: origins and virtues
Legends about the origins of coffee
The legend of the old pilgrim tells how this pious man, during his journey, suddenly felt weakened by hunger. He faltered, despite his staff being firmly anchored to the ground. Hours passed and night fell… Then, little by little, the man regained his senses, invaded by a sweet sensation of fullness. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that his stick had blossomed and was covered with red leaves and fruit. This legend offers a mysterious version of how the coffee tree came to be, while also evoking its benefits…
Coffee legend in Arabic literature
Some accounts say that God commanded the Angel Gabriel to offer the Prophet Mohammed coffee to stimulate him when he was ill. The drink was then called “qawa”, a term still used today to describe coffee!
Legends about the virtues of coffee
Hadji Omar
The story goes that the wise Hadji Omar, fleeing religious persecution, took refuge in the mountains of Yemen, near Moka. To survive, he relied on foraging. One day, a bird with enchanting plumage and song landed on a shrub laden with red fruits. Hadji Omar picked them to add to his soup of wild fruits and vegetables. He then got into the habit of drinking coffee.
The shepherd
The most widespread legend dates back to the 8th century. It tells of a Kaldi shepherd in East Africa, in Abyssinia… According to the variants, the shepherd kept watch over his goats or camels, which sometimes stayed up all night, contrary to their custom. The shepherd thought this might have something to do with their grazing, and checked it out by returning to the site. He observed the red-fruited shrubs his cattle seemed to love. He picked a few berries, boiled them in water and realized that he too was keeping watch. Finding the remedy effective, he is said to have told Coptic monks or Muslim clerics (the places vary according to the story…) to help them keep watch during night services.
A legend about the discovery of coffee roasting
A sequel to the previous legend recounts that one rainy day, one of the convent’s monks put his berries by the fire to dry and forgot about them. The berries dried and some began to toast, giving off a pleasant fragrance. As is his custom, the monk crushed the dried berries, including the roasted ones, to prepare his infusion. As it was particularly tasty, he would repeat the experience, thus initiating the roasting of coffee!
While many legends evoke the virtues and mysterious origins of coffee, the stories are set in Yemen and Ethiopia. Indeed, this is where coffee is endemic. This is one of the reasons why NOROHY has developed an organic coffee bean paste from Ethiopia. Grown on the high plateaus of Guji by small-scale producers, this coffee offers exceptional aromatic qualities. Finally, NOROHY also offers an
