Dancing goats discover coffee

From landscapes of stunning biodiversity to the soaring pinnacles of the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia is the home of coffee. It is believed that coffee cultivation and drinking began as early as the 9th century in Ethiopia.

The word coffee comes from the word – Kaffa, which is also a place in South-Western Ethiopia. Kaffa is said to be the first place where Arabica coffee was discovered and exported from. Its rich soil and ideal weather conditions enabled it to become the motherland of Arabica coffee.

Today, coffee is one of the most loved beverages in the world. It is grown in more than 70 tropical countries and is the second most exported commodity in the world after oil. But if it weren’t for a bunch of energetic dancing goats in Ethiopia, the power of this little coffee bean would have escaped the world.

Legend says that Kaldi, a goat herder, discovered coffee with the help of his goats. His goats seemed to be acting exceptionally cheerful after eating the bright red berries from a dark-leaved shrub nearby. Surprised by this behavior, Kaldi tried a few berries himself and soon felt elated. Like most of us after a cup of coffee.

Kaldi took these coffee berries to the monastery. Considering it to be a work of the devil, the monks tossed the berries into the fire. The monks found it more effective to brew the berries with water as the heavenly aroma kept them awake during their nightly devotions. This is how the culture of drinking coffee began.

Ethiopia is a witness to a turbulent political and economic climate. Coffee farming was hit hard in the early 2000s. As a result, several farmers who struggled to make ends meet had to abandon their crops. This caused the farmers to migrate to the city. However, some of the farmers decided to remain with their coffee plantations.

Despite the challenges, Ethiopia became a major coffee exporter.

A Story of Seven Seeds

For centuries or more, Yemen exported coffee from the port of Al Makha. Under the Ottoman Empire, coffee was cautiously guarded and sold only in their roasted or baked form. Yemen soon established a global monopoly on coffee trade which thrived in the port of Al-Makha, later named as Mocha.

Baba Budan tasted his first coffee in Yemen and loved the drink so much that he wanted to take a few seeds back with him. Since Yemen was extremely protective of their coffee beans, he had to smuggle them, but it was illegal to carry green coffee seeds out of Yemen.

The saint hid 7 green coffee seeds in his long beard. The number seven is sacred in the Islamic religion and his act of carrying seven seeds was viewed as a religious act. This is how the seven seeds made their way into India.
Upon his return, the saint planted the seeds in the hills of Chikamanglur, a hill town in Karnataka. The coffee plants gradually spread as backyard plantings. Soon enough, they surrounded the Chandragiri Hills. Hence, the entire mountain range was named after the Sufi-saint – as Baba Budan Giri.

In the 17th century, the Dutch occupied most of India and also helped to spread the cultivation of coffee across India. Coffee farming began flourishing under the hands of the British Raj in the mid 19th century when several forests in Southern India were converted into commercial coffee plantations.

Chikamanglur is touted as the Coffee country. Today, Arabica coffee is the second most cultivated coffee bean in India after Robusta. Moreover, the seven green coffee seeds smuggled by Baba Budan were of the Arabica coffee.