Ethiopian Coffee

Timeline

1. c. 600–1000Kaffa forests · KaffaWild Arabica coffee in southwestern Ethiopian forests was gathered by local groups, who ate the fruit or mixed it with animal fat into energy balls, gradually forming use traditions linked to ritual and medicine.
2. 1291Ethiopian highlands · EthiopiaBy the late 13th century coffee drinking and coffee rituals were widespread on the Ethiopian highlands; boiled or fermented juice became a common beverage at social and religious gatherings, though large-scale overseas export had not yet begun.
3. c. 1450–1500Mocha port · Red SeaArabian coffee plants and knowledge of roasting and brewing crossed the Red Sea to Yemen and were commercially cultivated at Mocha; coffee then spread to Cairo, Istanbul, and Europe, becoming a global beverage.