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Coffee and Coffee Shop (1)
The word “coffee” entered English in 1598 via Italian caffé, via Turkish kahve, from Arabic qahwah. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, there being several legendary accounts of the origin of the drink. One possible explanation is the Kaffa region in Ethiopia, where the plant originated.Coffee shop, or café shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on providing coffee and tea as well as light snacks. In some countries, café may more closely resemble restaurants, offering a range of hot meals, and possibly being licensed to serve alcohol. Since the 16th century, in Persia, the coffeehouse has reserved as a social gathering place where men assemble to drink coffee or tea, listen to music, play chess, perhaps hear a recitation from the Shahnameh.
The traditional tale of the origins of Viennese coffeehouse begins from the mysterious sacks of green beans left behind when the Turks were defeated in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. A knowing Turkish-speaking Pole supposedly began the first coffeehouse in Vienna with the hoard.
Coffeehouses first became popular in Europe upon the
introduction of coffee in the 17th century. The first London coffeehouse opened in Cornhill in 1652; Boston had its first in 1670, and Paris in 1672. Though Charles Ⅱ later tried to suppress them as “places where the disaffected met, and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of His Majesty and his Ministers” (a criticism that was accurate—both the French and American revolutions were largely plotted in coffeehouses), the public flocked to them. They were great social levelers, open to all, and as a result associated with equality and republicanism.Related posts