Where does this come from, and can I check it?

The plant is native there, and the drink spread north to Yemen. The figure is taken from Science History Institute, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a food fact?

Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Coffee drinking began in Ethiopian highlands

The plant is native there, and the drink spread north to Yemen Coffea arabica grows wild in the forests of southwestern Ethiopia, where the cherries were probably chewed or brewed long before the drink became a trade. By the fifteenth century coffee was being cultivated in Yemen and served in Sufi lodges, and from the port of Mocha it spread through the Ottoman empire. European coffee houses followed in the seventeenth century. It sits in Mondo's food collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Science History Institute

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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More facts like this

Socotra Island is home to species found nowhere else on EarthLocated off the coast of Yemen, Socotra is famous for its umbrella-shaped dragon blood trees.Espresso is brewed under nine barsPressurised water pushes through a packed bed of coffee in about thirty seconds Coffee beans are the seeds of a cherryEach fruit holds two flat seeds that growers strip of skin and sticky mucilage Roasting builds the aroma of coffeeGreen beans smell grassy until heat drives browning and hundreds of aromas Roasted coffee releases gas for daysCarbon dioxide trapped inside the bean escapes slowly once roasting ends Instant coffee is a dried brewed extractFactories brew coffee strongly, then remove the water from the resulting liquid

Tags: coffee, ethiopia, yemen

Coffee drinking began in Ethiopian highlands: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The plant is native there, and the drink spread north to Yemen. The figure is taken from Science History Institute, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.