Have you ever wondered where its name comes from? How do you say coffee in different languages? The story of how coffee spread throughout the world is one of the most entertaining there is.
One of the most historic crops in the world.
The story of how it spread around the world is one of the most entertaining there is.
That story begins in the Horn of Africa, in Ethiopia, where the coffee tree had its origin in the province of Kaffa in Absinia (now Ethiopia). There are several stories about its origin, but there is a legend that is the most widespread and popular: the legend of the shepherd.
Legend has it that it was a young shepherd named Kaldi who discovered the coffee plant in 300 AD. Kaldi observed a strange behavior in his herd, which jumped and jumped energetically, after eating the red fruits of a bush (the coffee plantation) hitherto unknown. After observing this behavior, he also decided to ingest and taste the red berries of the plant, thus feeling full of energy. Surprised by this fact, the shepherd plucked several fruits and showed them to a religious superior of a nearby convent. The priest tried to boil the berries and drink the resulting infusion, but it was too bitter and he discarded it. Throwing those fruits into the fire, he observed how, when roasted, they gave off a pleasant aroma that invaded the entire place. He again tried to prepare an infusion with the berries already toasted, then discovering what we know today as coffee.
The truth is that the Arabs were the first to discover the virtues and nutritional possibilities of this drink around the fifteenth century, which is why it was believed for a long time that the plant was of Arab origin.
Kiva Han, the first coffee shop in history, opened its doors in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the year 1475.
According to historians, the first coffee plants in the mountainous regions of Ethiopia, before the 9th century, passed to neighboring Yemen, located in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, from where they were taken to India.
Venetian merchants were the first to bring coffee to Europe in 1615. Coffee consumption became widespread in Europe from the 18th century.
It was the Dutch, however, who first began to spread the coffee tree in Central and South America. In 1616, they took several specimens of coffee trees from Java (today Indonesia) to the Botanical Garden of Amsterdam for cultivation. Coffee first reached the Dutch colony of Suriname in 1718, and later coffee plantations were planted in French Guiana and the first of many in Brazil, in Pará.
In 1730 the British brought coffee to Jamaica, where today the most famous and expensive coffee in the world is grown in the Blue Mountains.
By 1825, Central and South America were en route to their coffee destiny. That date is also important because it was when coffee was first planted in Hawaii, which produces the only American coffee and one of the best.
Since its discovery, coffee has become one of the most popular and consumed beverages around the world. and probably, wherever you travel, you can make yourself understood in any coffee shop if what you want is to taste a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Did you know that it is estimated that up to 2 billion cups are drunk in the world every day?
According to the British Coffee Assosiation, around 95 million cups of coffee are drunk in the UK every day. (and the five o'clock tea?!)
It is clear that coffee is much more than a drink: it unites people, it has no borders and it speaks any language.
Coffee in Languages
Have you ever wondered where its name comes from?
The word "coffee" comes from the Turkish term "kahve", which in turn comes from the Arabic, "qahhwat al-bun" and means "grain wine".
In most Latin countries, the word coffee is used, which derives from the Italian caffe, referring to the Ethiopian region of Kaffa, where the first coffee plants were discovered.
If you are a lover of coffee, languages and travel, we leave you a list so you know how it is said in different parts of the world.
How do you say coffee in different languages?
Afrikáans – kafee
Albanés – kafene
Alemán – Kaffee
Bosnio – Kafa
Búlgaro – кафене
Checo – Káva
Croata – Kava
Eslovaco – káva
Estonio – Kohv
Euskera - kafea
Finlandés – kahvila
Griego – Καφές
Hawaiano – Kape
Inglés – Coffee
Irlandés – Caife
Islandés – Kaffi
Maorí – Kawhe
Maltés: kafe
Noruego – Kafé
Polaco – Kawa
Rumano – cafenea
Ruso – кафе
Sueco – Kafé
Turco – Kahve
Ucraniano – кава
Vasco – kafea
Vietnaminta - cà phê
Now you can, coffee through, plan your next trip. Where would you go?
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