You may know that more people drink coffee than tea around the world．And that, after oil, it is the second biggest traded commodity (商品)．You may also know that the drink comes from beans which are first roasted and then ground (研磨)．But what else do you know about this popular drink?
It is said that the story of coffee started with an Ethiopian goatherd (牧羊人) named Kaldi．One day Kaldi was surprised to see that his goats were behaving very strangely．Instead of grazing (吃草) quietly, they were jumping around, almost dancing．He also noticed some red "cherries" from a plant that the goats were eating．He tried some himself and was surprised by the feeling of extreme happiness and excitement．He felt like dancing too !
But it wasn't used as a drink at first．It was used as food．The coffee berries, mixed with animal fat, were used by monks to stay awake during long hours of prayer．From Ethiopia, coffee was later cultivated (培育) in Yemen and the first hot drink was developed there around AD 1000．Three centuries later Muslims were keen coffee drinkers and as Islam spread, so did coffee．Coffee houses appeared in Cairo and Mecca．
For hundreds of years the plants were protected safely．But some beans were smuggled (偷运) out of Arabia and taken to India．In the 17th century, coffee was soon grown in a new continent．From India to Indonesia, a century later the beans were once again smuggled to Brazil．Brazil is now the largest coffee producer in the world．
It was the caffeine that made the goats dance and kept the monks awake．Although it is found in other soft drinks and tea, coffee has the most caffeine．In the short term．a couple of cups of coffee can prevent fatigue and delay sleep．But several cups a day, every day, can cause anxiety and restlessness．
The of Coffee | |
Discovery | Kaldi found that his goats got after they ate some red cherries． Kaldi himself tried some, and he became very happy and excited． |
At first | Coffee was instead of being drunk． |
In AD 1000 | Coffee was cultivated in Yemen and the first hot drink was developed． |
In AD 1300 | Coffee to different places so coffee houses appeared in Cairo and Mecca． |
In the 17th century | Coffee was soon grown in a new continent, from India to Indonesia． |
Now | Brazil the most coffee in the world． |
