In muslim stories, the origins of coffee involved the dervish Omar, a religious healer who was exiled from Mocha. While nearing starvation in a cave in the desert, Omar chewed on coffee berries. Finding them bitter, he had them roasted and boiled, and was revitalized by the brew. With it, he cured patients from Mocha who visited him for medical advice, and was able to return to Mocha in triumph to be made patron saint of the city, all because of coffee. Other Muslims claim that the archangel Gabriel was sent to reveal to the prophet Mohammed the “virtues and manner of preparing ‘a beneficial liquor’ a.k.a. coffee.
Early uses of coffee in Africa:
- Chewed raw: coffee was chewed raw for its stimulating effects.
- Made into caffeine-packed “energy bars” Ripe coffee cherries were pounded, mixed with animal fat and moulded into cocktails of fat, caffeine, and meat proteins – a great source of concentrated energy particularly useful for their warriors in times of tribal conflict
- Eaten for the pulp, which is sweet and caffeine-containing.
- Made into wine, using the fermented juice of ripe cherries was made into a wine. Since wine was prohibited in Islam, coffee was nicknamed “the wine of Araby”.