Recently, I came across a few articles that talked about the origin of coffee and how it was linked to various communities of faith. It seems that coffee and religion has a long history. Although little is recorded about the origin of coffee, what has been proven is the plant's likely regional birthplace, Ethiopia.
Coffee's origins in Ethiopia make for an interesting religious
circumstance. Ethiopia is one of the unique places where the three
Abrahamic faiths have co-existed for a long time. Judaism, Christianity
and Islam all have shared a part in the history of Ethiopia but it was
Islam that first seemed to recognize, and take advantage of the benefits
of coffee. Due to its hellish blackness, Islam wrestled with it at first. Should the drink be treated like alcohol, a forbidden and intoxicating drink to avoid, or recognized as a nutritious and refreshing beverage? The latter won out and coffee prevailed throughout the Islamic world.
The Catholic Church, which seldom delves officially into dietary matters, soon became embroiled in whether Christians should partake of this new drink. When pressed for an answer, the reigning pope, Clement VIII, insisted on a sip. He instantly proclaimed coffee a good tasting and healthy beverage for Christians. Jewish law, which frequently declares various foods kosher (in accordance with the religion's rules and customs), also deemed coffee allowable.
Clearly, this is still much to be learnt about the origin of coffee. To move forward with coffee knowledge, it is important to look back at coffee's history. I hope that this little bit of information here has helped you to understand more about the story behind this wonderful beverage.
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