How humanity got hooked on coffee - Jonathan Morris

譯者: 麗玲 辛 審譯者: Helen Chang

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

大約在西元 850 年的某天， 一位名叫卡爾迪的牧羊人發現

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

他的山羊在吃了一些漿果後， 開始出現異常行為。

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

卡爾迪親自試吃， 很快，他變得同樣亢奮。

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

這就是人類第一次接觸到咖啡，

or so the story goes.

至少故事據說是這樣的。

When exactly people began consuming coffee is unclear—

人類何時開始飲用咖啡並不確定，

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

但 15 世紀前的某個時期， 在今日的衣索比亞，

people began foraging for wild coffee in the forest undergrowth.

人們開始在森林灌木叢中 採集野生咖啡。

The reason coffee plants are equipped with lots of caffeine

咖啡樹含有大量咖啡因，

might be because it makes them unattractive to herbivores

可能是為了讓草食動物不喜歡吃，

or more attractive to pollinators.

或者更能吸引授粉者。

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

但無論如何，人們開始 注意到咖啡的好處，

and began making tea from its leaves;

開始用它的葉子來泡茶；

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

將咖啡漿果與奶油和鹽混合， 製成滋養的小吃；

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

並將其果實乾燥、烘烤和煨煮成 一種提神的靈丹妙藥。

Coffee rode trade routes into the Middle East,

咖啡經由貿易路線傳入中東，

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

它的普及始於 1450 年代。

Upon returning from a visit to Ethiopia,

一位蘇非派領袖從衣索比亞回來後，

a Sufi leader recommended that worshippers in Yemen

建議葉門的信徒們

use coffee during ritual chants and dances.

在儀式性的詠唱和舞蹈中飲用咖啡。

Soon enough, people within the Ottoman Empire

很快，奧斯曼帝國的人們

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

開始烘烤、研磨咖啡豆，製作出 顏色更深、味道更濃郁的飲料。

Many gathered in guesthouses and outside mosques

許多人聚集在客棧和清真寺外，

to partake in coffee’s comforts.

享受咖啡帶來的慰藉。

But authorities grew concerned about whether coffee’s influence

但當局越來越擔心咖啡的影響

was innocent or intoxicating,

究竟是無害，還是令人沈醉，

and if Muslims should be allowed to drink it.

是否應該允許穆斯林教徒飲用咖啡。

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

事實上，1511 年，麥加的 某個宗教法庭就對咖啡進行了審判。

Scholars finally deemed it permissible,

學者們最終認為可以喝咖啡，

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

因此咖啡館在大馬士革、 伊斯坦堡等地興起，

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

顧客可以在館內喝咖啡、 抽煙，並享受各種娛樂。

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

到了 16 世紀末， 葉門的人們開始種植咖啡，

and exporting it from the port of Al-Makha,

並從阿爾馬哈港出口，

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

該港口在世界其他各地被稱為摩卡。

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

但咖啡最終被運輸或走私到印度，

and soon took root in Java and beyond.

並很快在爪哇島和其他地方生根。

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

同時，奧斯曼帝國將 此提神飲料引入歐洲。

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

倫敦市中心的第一家咖啡館 於 1650 年代開業。

By 1663 there were more than 80.

到 1663 年，咖啡館 數量已超過 80 家。

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

儘管國王查理二世 在 1675 年試圖禁止咖啡館，

coffeehouses kept simmering as social and intellectual hotbeds.

但咖啡館仍然作為 社交和知識的溫床而蓬勃發展。

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

例如，1679 年， 加勒維咖啡館的顧客

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

有幸看到科學家羅伯特．胡克 公開解剖一條海豚，

publicly dissect a porpoise.

他是首次提出「細胞」一詞的科學家。

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

在法國，人們開始將咖啡 與牛奶和糖混合在一起。

And throughout the 1700s,

在整個 18 世紀，

Paris’ coffeehouses hosted Enlightenment figures like Diderot and Voltaire,

巴黎的咖啡館接待了啓蒙運動的 重要人物，如狄德羅和伏爾泰，

who allegedly drank 50 cups of coffee a day.

據稱他們每天喝 50 杯咖啡。

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

誠然，這可能是相對淡的小杯咖啡，

but still, impressive.

但仍然很驚人。

Meanwhile, European empires began profiting off coffee-growing,

與此同時，歐洲帝國開始 從咖啡種植中獲利，

establishing enslaved or exploited workforces

在亞洲、拉丁美洲和加勒比地區

in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

取得奴隸或被剝削的勞動力。

As cultivation boomed in Latin America, fueled by slavery,

隨著拉丁美洲咖啡農業 在奴隸制的推動下蓬勃發展，

growers displaced Indigenous populations

種植者迫使原住民流離失所，

and burned forests to establish ever-expanding plantations.

燒毀森林，以不斷擴大種植地。

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

到 1906 年，巴西出口的咖啡 佔世界總量的 80% 以上。

That same year, the Milan World’s Fair showcased

同年，米蘭世界博覽會展示了

the first commercial espresso machine.

第一台商用濃縮咖啡機。

And alongside the development of industrial roasting equipment

隨著工業烘焙設備的發展，

came various coffee brands.

各種咖啡品牌也應運而生。

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

到 1950 年代中期，大約 60% 的 美國工廠設立了咖啡休息時間。

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

當非洲國家脫離殖民束縛， 許多國家提高了咖啡產量。

And coffee drinking also later made inroads in East Asia,

隨著預先製備咖啡的 出現，特別是罐裝，

especially as canned, pre-prepared beverages.

咖啡飲用也逐漸在東亞蓬勃發展。

In more recent decades,

近幾十年來，

specialty coffees with an emphasis on quality beans and brewing methods

注重優質咖啡豆和沖泡方法的 精品咖啡越來越受歡迎，

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

推展了中美洲和東非的農場。

Yet coffee workers worldwide continued to endure inhumane conditions

然而，全球各地的咖啡工人 仍然忍受著不人道的待遇

and insufficient compensation.

和不足的報酬。

This motivated certification efforts

這推動了咖啡生產的認證工作，

for coffee production that met ethical standards,

須符合最低工資 和永續農業等道德標準。

including minimum wage and sustainable farming.

But issues still loom over the industry.

但咖啡產業仍然籠罩著其他問題。

And because of climate change,

由於氣候變遷，

the equatorial “Bean Belt” where coffee thrives

盛產咖啡的赤道「咖啡帶」

is projected to shrink in upcoming decades.

預計在未來幾十年內縮小。

It’s unclear exactly what this might look like.

目前還不清楚未來會如何發展。

But scientists are investigating possibilities

但科學家們正在研究各種可能性，

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

例如，適應力強的咖啡混種， 可能有助於抵禦不可預測的未來，

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

這都是為了保護

of daily rituals worldwide.

這種已成為全世界日常儀式 一部份的珍貴飲料。