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Article: The story of coffee: from a mystic's beverage to a capitalist's cup.(Books)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- African Business
- Article date:
- June 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 IC Publications Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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COFFEE--A DARK HISTORY
By Antony Wild
[pounds sterling]18.99 Fourth Estate
ISBN 1-84115-649-3
At the very beginning of the 16th century, in Yemen, Southern Arabia, a new drink made its first appearance. The popularity of this new drink made of the fruit of a plant of Ethiopian origin spread rapidly, and within a decade coffee was being consumed widely throughout the Islamic world. All the evidence suggests that this new drink was first used by Sufi orders of Yemen.
The Sufis were a mystical branch of Islam who conducted most of their prayers and rituals at night. The reason for this was simple--Sufi orders were not like the ...