0
Coffee remained in the Middle Eastern region for many years after its discovery. The Arabs knew a good thing when they saw it, and were reluctant to share it with the rest of the world. When they did sell coffee, it was in the form of boiled beans that were suitable for consumption, but not for cultivation.
It was only in the 17th century that coffee found its way to Europe in the hands of some Dutch traders, who managed to smuggle it out of the Middle East around the year 1616. Coffee made its way to India much the same way a few decades later in the hands of Saint Baba Budan, an Arab mystic who brought back seven beans from his pilgrimage to Mecca. The Chadragiri Hills in Karnataka, where he planted them, proved to have the ideal climate for coffee cultivation.
Today this crop is also thriving in plantations in Kerala and Karnataka, where it was sown by the East India Company in the 19th century, but the hills of Karnataka still account for the largest production of Indian coffee. India, in turn, is the fifth largest producer of coffee in the world, after Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and Ethiopia, manufacturing an astounding two hundred thousand tonnes per year, 70% of which is exported across the globe. Indian coffee is acknowledged to be amongst the finest in the world, particularly since it is available in both the Arabica and Robusta varieties; most other coffee-producing countries are only able to grow one or the other. For those who are wondering why this should be significant, it is because the two types of coffee are used for very different purposes. Arabica beans are higher quality ones. Since they are grown through a slow process at a high altitude they are said to be very flavourful and are used in gourmet coffees. Robusta beans, on the other hand, are used more in commercial coffees, and the plant itself is valued for its hardiness and resistance to disease. Indian coffee exists in another distinctive form that is quite unique - 'monsooned' coffee, coffee that is mellowed when its beans swell up with moisture, a phenomenon that occurred naturally aboard sailing ships in years gone by, and is today very consciously prepared mainly for the delectation of Scandinavian importers.
The US, which, at a 100 billion cups a year, is the world's largest consumer of coffee, was only introduced to the beverage in the 18th century. It was also at around this time that large coffee plantations were established in Central and South America, initiating a world wide coffee trade that has since grown increasingly competitive. As far as being a world trade item, coffee ranks second only to oil, and its prices have made their way to major stock and commodity exchange lists. Coffee has proved a boon for many developing tropical nations, whose climatic conditions have allowed them to send the crop for export to wealthier, but colder, countries, in exchange for foreign aid. The trading power of coffee is so great that even the World Bank has been known to use it in lieu of currency on certain occasions.
Coffee has made its way into almost every country around the world. Each has it's own distinctive way of drinking coffee, and its own peculiar customs attached to the same. The French delight in 'pressed coffee,' which they give even to infants. The Austrians, whether or not they actually invented it, have lent their name to the famous 'Viennoise' coffee ice-cream. The Central Americans have given a sweet edge to the bitter liquid. They serve it with hot milk and cinnamon and even cocoa in the Honduras, Guatemala and Panama, a practice that would most definitely be frowned upon in the Caribbean, where people only drink their coffee with a lemon rind floating in it, or with a dash of liqueur, and scorn all other forms of coffee drinking as 'barbaric.' The biggest coffee snobs of all, though, are the Italians, who have taken coffee making and drinking to new heights, what with their espressos and cappuccinos, each made with almost scientific precision and consumed with delight.
The benefits and de-merits of each kind of coffee are constantly debated and expounded upon. In the ultimate analysis, though, all coffee lovers around the world - and there are plenty of them - owe their favourite beverage to a few frisky goats, a couple of observant goatherds, and one enterprising monk.
Recipie :Roasted almond iced coffee:
Brew your favourite style and strength of coffee with milk and sugar. Roast and grind 4 almonds (per serving) in a
mortar and pestle. Allow to cool, add ice cubes and mix all in a blender for a minute.Pour in a tall glass add a
teaspoon of honey and garnish with orange peel spiral.
