How humanity got hooked on coffee - Jonathan Morris

翻译人员: Kate Tang 校对人员: suya f.

One day around 850 CE, a goatherd named Kaldi observed that,

公元 850 年左右的某一天，

一位名叫 卡尔迪的牧羊人观察到,

after nibbling on some berries, his goats started acting abnormally.

他的山羊在吃了一些浆果后， 开始表现异常。

Kaldi tried them himself, and soon enough he was just as hyper.

卡尔迪亲自尝了它们， 而很快他也变得非常兴奋。

This was humanity’s first run-in with coffee—

这是人类与咖啡的第一次相遇——

or so the story goes.

至少故事是这样记载的。

When exactly people began consuming coffee is unclear—

人们究竟何时开始 喝咖啡尚不清楚——

but at some point before the 1400s, in what’s now Ethiopia,

但是在公元 1400 年 之前的某个时候，

在今天的埃塞俄比亚，

people began foraging for wild coffee in the forest undergrowth.

人们开始在森林灌木丛中觅食野生咖啡。

The reason coffee plants are equipped with lots of caffeine

咖啡这种植物富含大量咖啡因的原因

might be because it makes them unattractive to herbivores

可能是因为这使它们 对食草动物没有吸引力

or more attractive to pollinators.

或对授粉者更具吸引力。

But either way, people caught on to coffee’s advantages

但是不管怎样，人们发现了咖啡的优点

and began making tea from its leaves;

并开始用咖啡的叶子泡茶；

combining its berries with butter and salt for a sustaining snack;

将咖啡的浆果与黄油和盐 混合在一起，作为一种休闲零食；

and drying, roasting, and simmering its cherries into an energizing elixir.

或将这种浆果烘干、 烘烤和煮成长生不老药。

Coffee rode trade routes into the Middle East,

咖啡通过贸易路线进入中东，

and its widespread popularity began brewing in earnest in the 1450s.

其受欢迎程度在 公元 1450 年代开始广泛传播。

Upon returning from a visit to Ethiopia,

访问埃塞俄比亚返回后，

a Sufi leader recommended that worshippers in Yemen

一位苏非派领导人建议也门的信徒

use coffee during ritual chants and dances.

在唱仪式圣歌和跳舞时使用咖啡。

Soon enough, people within the Ottoman Empire

很快，奥斯曼帝国内部的人们

began roasting and grinding the beans to yield a darker, bolder beverage.

开始烘焙和研磨咖啡豆， 以生产出更浓、更大胆的饮料。

Many gathered in guesthouses and outside mosques

许多人聚集在宾馆和清真寺外

to partake in coffee’s comforts.

一起享受咖啡带来的愉悦。

But authorities grew concerned about whether coffee’s influence

但是当局越来越关注咖啡的影响

was innocent or intoxicating,

究竟是无害的还是令人沉醉的，

and if Muslims should be allowed to drink it.

以及是否应该允许穆斯林喝咖啡。

Indeed, in 1511, a religious court in Mecca put coffee on trial.

事实上，在 1511 年， 麦加的一个宗教法庭对咖啡进行了审判。

麦加的一个宗教法庭 对咖啡进行了审判。

Scholars finally deemed it permissible,

学者们终于认为这应是被允许的，

so coffeehouses sprang up in Damascus, Istanbul, and beyond,

因此大马士革、伊斯坦布尔及其他地区 如雨后春笋般涌现出大批咖啡馆

where clientele could sip coffee, smoke, and enjoy a variety of entertainment.

顾客可以在那里喝咖啡， 抽烟，享受各种娱乐。

By the late 1500s, people in Yemen were farming coffee

到 1500 年代末，也门 人开始种植咖啡，

and exporting it from the port of Al-Makha,

然后从 Al-Makha 港出口，

which became known in other parts of the world as Mocha.

该港口在世界其他地方被称为摩卡。

But coffee was eventually transported— or smuggled— into India,

但是咖啡最终被运送， 或者说走私到印度，

and soon took root in Java and beyond.

并很快在爪哇及其他地区扎下了根。

Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire introduced the stimulating substance to Europe.

同时，奥斯曼帝国将这 种刺激性物质引入欧洲。

Central London’s first coffeehouses opened in the 1650s.

伦敦市中心的第一家咖啡馆 于 1650 年代开业。

By 1663 there were more than 80.

到 1663 年， 那里有 80 多个咖啡馆。

And despite King Charles II’s attempt to ban them in 1675,

尽管查理二世国王在1675年 试图将咖啡非法化，

coffeehouses kept simmering as social and intellectual hotbeds.

咖啡馆一直是社会和知识进步的温床。

In 1679, for instance, patrons of Garraway’s coffeehouse

例如，1679年，加拉威咖啡馆的顾客

had the pleasure of watching Robert Hooke, the scientist who coined the term “cell,”

有幸看到创造 “细胞” 一词的科学家罗伯特·胡克

publicly dissect a porpoise.

公开解剖海豚。

In France, people began mixing coffee with milk and sugar.

在法国，人们开始将 咖啡与牛奶和糖混合。

And throughout the 1700s,

在整个1700年代，

Paris’ coffeehouses hosted Enlightenment figures like Diderot and Voltaire,

巴黎的咖啡馆接待了狄德罗 和伏尔泰等启蒙运动人物，

who allegedly drank 50 cups of coffee a day.

据称，他们每天要喝50杯咖啡。

Granted, these were likely small servings of comparatively weak coffee—

诚然，这些可能是小份 且相对较淡的咖啡，

but still, impressive.

但即便如此， 这也十分让人瞠目结舌。

Meanwhile, European empires began profiting off coffee-growing,

同时，欧洲帝国们开始 从咖啡种植中获利，

establishing enslaved or exploited workforces

在亚洲、拉丁

in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

美洲和加勒比地区组建被奴役 或剥削的劳动力。

As cultivation boomed in Latin America, fueled by slavery,

在奴隶制的推动下， 拉丁美洲种植业蓬勃发展，

growers displaced Indigenous populations

种植者使土著居民流离失所，

and burned forests to establish ever-expanding plantations.

森林为了建立 不断扩大的种植园而被砍伐。

By 1906, Brazil was exporting over 80% of the world’s coffee.

到 1906 年，巴西的咖啡出口量占 世界咖啡总量的 80％ 以上。

That same year, the Milan World’s Fair showcased

同年，米兰世界博览会展示了

the first commercial espresso machine.

第一台商用意式浓缩咖啡机。

And alongside the development of industrial roasting equipment

随着工业烘焙设备的发展，

came various coffee brands.

市面上出现了各种咖啡品牌。

By the mid-1950s, about 60% of US factories incorporated coffee breaks.

到 1950 年代中期，约有 60％ 的 美国工厂引用了咖啡茶歇时间。

As African countries cut colonial ties, many ramped up coffee production.

随着非洲国家切断殖民关系， 许多国家提高了咖啡产量。

And coffee drinking also later made inroads in East Asia,

咖啡饮用后来也在东亚开始普及，

especially as canned, pre-prepared beverages.

尤其是作为罐装的预制饮料。

In more recent decades,

近几十年来，

specialty coffees with an emphasis on quality beans and brewing methods

以优质咖啡豆和冲泡方法 为重点的特种咖啡

grew popular and propelled farms in Central America and East Africa.

越来越受欢迎，并推动了 中美洲和东非的农场发展。

Yet coffee workers worldwide continued to endure inhumane conditions

然而，全世界的咖啡工作者 继续忍受着不人道的工作条件

and insufficient compensation.

和低廉的薪水。

This motivated certification efforts

这激发了

for coffee production that met ethical standards,

衡量符合道德标准

including minimum wage and sustainable farming.

（包括最低工资和可持续农业） 的咖啡生产的认证工作。

But issues still loom over the industry.

但是问题仍然笼罩着整个行业。

And because of climate change,

而且，由于气候变化，

the equatorial “Bean Belt” where coffee thrives

咖啡蓬勃发展的赤道 “咖啡豆地带”

is projected to shrink in upcoming decades.

预计将在未来几十年内缩小。

It’s unclear exactly what this might look like.

目前我们尚不清楚 它到底会变成什么样子。

But scientists are investigating possibilities

但是科学家们正在研究

like resilient coffee hybrids that might help weather the unpredictable future—

诸如弹性混合咖啡之类的可能性， 它们可能有助于抵御不可预测的未来，

all to protect the beverage that’s become a cherished part

所有这些都是为了保护 这种已成为所有人日常生活中

of daily rituals worldwide.

珍贵组成部分的饮料。