In
the Ethiopian highlands, where the legend of Kaldi, the goatherd, originated,
coffee trees grow today as they have for centuries. Though we will never know
with certainty, there probably is some truth to the Kaldi legend. It is said
that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries
from a certain tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at
night. Kaldi dutifully reported his findings to the abbot of the local
monastery who made a drink with the berries and discovered that it kept him
alert for the long hours of evening prayer. Soon the abbot had shared his
discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and ever so slowly knowledge
of the energizing effects of the berries began to spread. As word moved
east and coffee reached the Arabian Peninsula, it began a journey that would
spread its reputation across the globe. Today coffee is grown in a multitude of
countries around the world. Whether it is Asia or Africa, Central or South
America, the islands of the Caribbean or Pacific, all can trace their heritage
to the trees in the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau.
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