- Coffee facts
Coffee is our bread.
When I was recently asked where the name “coffee” actually comes from, I was able to hold a wonderful little semantic seminar. Here you go:
Babette Lichtenford
Where the coffee comes from.
According to the experts, the word “coffee” is derived from the Arabic “qahwa”, which means “stimulating, strong”. From which in turn the Turkish word “kahvè” is derived. And since coffee was first cultivated in these regions, this seems a logical explanation. But (isn’t there always one?): Ethiopia is recognized as the birthplace of coffee. And since there is a plateau there called “Kaffa”, where the coffee culture is still very present, the name “coffee” could of course have originated in this way. Funnily enough, however, coffee is called “buna” there. And “Buna dabo naw” – coffee is our bread – is one of the most common sayings there.
Which, by the way, is not only true in Ethiopia, but also here.
You can find out more about the eventful history of coffee – including goats and 3rd wave coffee – here on the blog in the coffee facts section.
