The history and etymology of coffee start with the usual "Once upon a time there was & qahwa: word that originally, in the classic Arab language, meant a drink that, produced from the juice extracted from some seeds, was consumed as dark red wine or as liquid that, once drunk, provoked such exciting and stimulating effects to be also used as medicine.

Later the meaning reduced, turning from "qahwa" into the Turkish word "Kahve'" which means coffee in the real sense of the world.
In spite of the different derivations, the correct scientific term is "Coffea Arabica": this derivation is sometimes questioned by those who assert that the word "coffee" comes from the name of the area where the plant grew spontaneously, i.e. Caffa in Ethiopia.

Origin of coffee

As for other kinds of plants and seeds, also the discovery and introduction of coffee are connected to the history of wars, colonization and commerce. Its diffusion in the world was facilitated by the colonial and war events of those populations that, during their travels and businesses, introduced it in the different countries. Many legends were born about this drink and some of them certainly have a touch of truth. The inhabitants of Abyssinia used to crop the coffee beans, dry them, toast them and then, with butter and salt, made some aromatic breads that they used to consume during their travels. This habit is currently still practised by some African tribes. The same consumption was done by the ancient Arab warriors, who believed that such food, due to the presence of caffeine, made them more courageous and aggressive during the battles. For some experts the importation and the cultivation of the coffee plant diffused in Arabia, on the mountains of Yemen, after the Ethiopic invasions of the XIII and XIV centuries. The most popular tales concerning coffee are set in Arabia, because the use of the berries as drink is attributed to Arabia.