INDONESIA'S COFFEE CROPS HISTORY

INDONESIA'S COFFEE CROPS HISTORY

Boak Kawo

Various sources claim that the coffee plant originated in Abyssinia, the ancient African region that today includes Ethiopia and Eritrea. However, it is unclear how the coffee plant benefited the Abyssinians. The Arabs were the first to make coffee a popular beverage. Coffee beans were brought from Abyssinia by Arab traders to Yemen, where they became a commercial commodity.

Arabs initially dominated the coffee bean trade. They control trade through the Yemeni port of Mocha. From the port of Mocha, coffee beans are traded all the way to Europe. Mocha was the only trade route for coffee beans at the time, and Europeans referred to coffee as Mocha.

Europeans began to establish their own coffee plantations by the 17th century. Initially, it was developed in Europe, but the climate was unsuitable for the growth of coffee plants. They then attempted to cultivate plants in their colonies all over the world. His efforts were fruitful, and the Europeans were able to shift the Arabs' dominance in coffee production.

One of the world's coffee production centers is on the Dutch-developed island of Java. For a time, Java coffee dominated the global coffee market. At the time, a cup of coffee was more commonly referred to as a "Cup of Java" or "Secangkir Jawa".

The word "coffee" first appeared in European languages around the 1600s, according to William H. Ukers' book All About Coffee (1922). The term is derived from the Arabic word "qahwa," which may be derived indirectly rather than directly from the Arabic term "kahveh."

It should be noted that the term "qahwa" in Arabic refers to the name of the drink rather than the plant. The term "qahwa," according to experts, refers to a drink made from seeds brewed with hot water. Another school of thought contends that qahwa was originally a type of wine (wine).

The scientific origin of the word "coffee," according to Ukers, was first discussed in 1909 at the Symposium on the Etymology of the Word Coffee. The term "coffee" is used in this symposium to refer to the Arabic term "qahwa," which means "strong."

Some argue that the word "coffee" does not originate in Arabic. According to them, the term coffee comes from the Abyssinia language, which is where the coffee plant originated. This assumption is invalid because it is not supported by strong evidence and is based on the name of a town in the Shoa region of southwest Abissynia, "kaffa." Other evidence suggests that coffee cherries were known in the city by another name, "bun," which in Arabic records refers to coffee beans rather than noodles.

Other languages adopted the Arabic term "qahwa," including Turkish "kahve," Dutch "koffie," French "café," Italian "caffè," English "coffee," Chinese "kia-fey," Japanese "kehi," and Malay "kawa." A different language's term for coffee sounds similar to the Arabic term.

In the case of Indonesia, it is possible that the word "coffee" was adapted from the Arabic term via the Dutch "koffie." Given that the Dutch were the first to establish coffee plantations in Indonesia, this is a reasonable assumption. It is possible, however, that the word was adapted directly from Arabic or Turkish. Given that many Indonesians had relationships with Arabs before the arrival of the Europeans.

This story is based on an Ethiopian folklore. In Shahdan, there is a goat owner named Kaldi. Kaldi discovered his goat hyperactive one day, jumping up and down as if dancing. Following an investigation, it was discovered that the goat was consuming red berries from an unknown tree. Out of curiosity, Kaldi tried the fruit. After eating it, he found himself acting like his goat.

Si Kaldi reported the incident to a monk. The monk was captivated by Kaldi's story and decided to try the fruit. As a result, the monk felt he had gained energy because he was able to stay awake at night without falling asleep to pray.

The Tangerang Insan Foundation published the book "History of Rindoe Benteng Coffee" by Kamaruddin Batubara, SE, ME, and Dr. Hamdani, SE, MM, M.Pd., M.Ak.