Convivial Coffee by Susan Campbell Though it’s hard to imagine a friendlier beverage than a good old cup of joe, coffee is expanding its social circle to enrich creations in the culinary world. It’s showing up in surprising places like salads, desserts, and even savory main courses. So let’s wake up and smell the coffee evolution! From bean to buzz
Legend has it that we have frisky goats in ancient Ethiopia to thank for our iconic pickme-up beverage. Apparently a goat herder named Kaldi noted the exuberant behavior of his flock after they ate the green leaves and red fruit of a certain plant. So he ate some himself, and liked the buzz it gave him. He then introduced it to the monks at the local monastery who made a drink out of the berries and also enjoyed the extra energy it provided. That was in the 14th century. By the 15th century, appreciation of the beverage and its inherent ability to increase focus spread far and wide throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Coffee became so popular that it became known as the “Wine of Araby,” and coffee houses became the social nexus for daily life. In fact, in Turkey, coffee became so integral to existence that “a lack of sufficient coffee provided grounds for a woman to seek a divorce.” Coffee traveled back to Europe via pilgrims who visited Mecca, and it spread throughout the colonies, Central and South America, and Indonesia where plantations sprang up due to the optimum growing conditions. Coffee plants
62
do better in a high mountain altitude with rich soil, and it’s interesting to note that Ethiopia still cultivates some of the finest coffee beans in the world today. In North America, it was after the Boston Tea Party when tea prices soared that coffee settled into the newly formed America as a preferred hot beverage. In fact, Thomas Jefferson said coffee was “the favorite drink of the civilized world.” As the quality of the beans and evolution of the roasting process began producing seriously high-end coffee, people started drinking it for the taste as much as for its stimulant effect. Expert “cuppers” cropped up around the world – true connoisseurs – much like those who appreciate fine wines. Today, international cupping competitions set the market prices and determine the best of the best each year. Currently the most expensive coffee in the world is coming from Northern Thailand. But it was espresso that changed everything about the way we consume coffee.
Coffee culture evolution
Italians were ultimately responsible for the eclectic range of coffee versions available today. Sipping fine espresso in Milan inspired the founder of Starbucks, and he brought barista culture to North America. But it’s interesting to note that the Italian way of drinking coffee is nothing like what you see in North America. Italians drink their coffee straight and fast like espresso shooters; you won’t find any triple, venti, half-sweet, nonfat, caramel macchiato in authentic Italian coffee houses! (Though Starbucks is planning to open their first outlet in Milan, soon!)
Coffee concoctions with a kick are also becoming all the rage. Not cocktails made with coffee liqueur like Black Russians, today’s bar chefs are using cold press coffee to make unique handcrafted cocktails. Sometimes they are taking old classics and adding a caffeine twist to them like the Coffee Caipirinha where the spirit called cachaça is infused in coffee beans to give it another element. New tiki drinks – ideal for the tropics – are also popping up like Catchin’ Some Rays made with tequila, dark rum, overproof rum, cold brew coffee, passion fruit, lime, and pineapple. And now coffee is expanding its social circles by creeping into cuisine. !
63