Italian Espresso Originally From Harar

Italians do love their coffee. According to the Italian Coffee Committee, a trade group, there are more than 800 coffee roasters in Italy, and more than 150,000 cafes that make espresso. In 2018, Italians consumed 5.9 kilos, or 13 pounds, of coffee per capita.

Harar is the 2nd a city in Ethiopia (The former Kingdom of Islamic Empire in the Horn of Africa before 1913, last ruler was Amir Nour) famous for two things:

ITS HISTORY AS A MAJOR HOLY CITY IN ISLAM (THE 4TH ISLAMIC CITY, AFTER MECCA, MADINA, AND JOURISLAM) AND ITS NATURALLY PROCESSED COFFEE. AS EARLY AS THE 16TH CENTURY, HARAR WAS FAMOUS FOR ITS COFFEE, AND BY THE 1800S IT HAD BECOME A MAJOR TRADE CENTER FOR COFFEE- THE ORIGINAL ARABICA COFFEE.

Coffee from the Harar area of Ethiopia is commonly referred to as Harar coffee, or simply as Harar. The phrase “Ethiopian Harar” also refers to the coffee varietal used to produce coffee in the Harar region. The coffee beans from this type of coffee plant are yellow-green or golden-green in color and medium in size. It is one of the oldest coffee varietals still used to make coffee today.

But traditional Italian espresso is not just any coffee.“We know very well how important coffee is to Italians, to Italians living abroad and to people around the world who have learned to appreciate something that is also a ritual and an occasion for encounter” and the dissemination of culture, said Maria Chiara Gadda, a lawmaker with Italia Viva, who spoke at a media launch of the coffee campaign in Rome on Tuesday.

According to the New York Times, Italian Coffee: “It’s the only coffee in the world that has a cream,” said Giorgio Caballini di Sassoferrato, the founder and president of the consortium sponsoring the candidacy.

The Origin of Arabica Coffee Myth: The Arabian Islamic Travelers to Harar (ADARI) on spiritual matters to spread Islam into the highlands of the Horn of Africa. He encountered some very energetic birds that had been eating the fruit of the bunn plant (known elsewhere as the coffee plant). Weary from his journey, he decided to try these berries for himself and he found that they produced an energetic state in him as well.

Source: Harar (HAN) December 8th, 2019. Regional Public Diplomacy and Infrastructure Investments for trade.