History abounds in the social fabric of coffeehouses

History abounds in the social fabric of coffeehouses

http://www.dailyadvance.com/features/history-abounds-social-fabric-coffeehouses-20063

By Robert Kelly-Goss
Saturday, April 10, 2010

Coffee is about as mainstream as it gets. Yet the history of the hot,
dark brew and the establishments that serve it has a storied, and
distant past steeped in accusations of subversion and the musings of
historical characters.

It's thought that the first coffeehouse can be dated back to the 10th
century in Istanbul, Turkey, then known as the city of
Constantinople, according to the book "Istanbul and the Civilization
of the Ottoman Empire." It's believed that a man from Damascus
arrived in Istanbul to open the first coffeehouse.

In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the 16th century, coffee and
coffeehouses had become places for political gatherings. Men drinking
coffee and discussing politics began to concern religious leaders and
so the drink and the establishments were banned there.

Eventually coffeehouse culture began to spread throughout the Middle East.

Coffee would eventually make its way to Europe in the 17th century
and coffeehouses soon followed. It's believed that the first
coffeehouse was likely opened in the Kingdom of Hungary since this
region served as mediator between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.

The first coffeehouse was opened in Oxford, England in 1650 in a
building known as "The Grand Café." A plaque exists to this day,
commemorating the place, now a trendy cocktail bar. By 1675, there
were more than 3,000 coffeehouses in England.

Paris, a city known for its coffeehouses, or cafes, saw its first
open in 1672. The second café, Procopio Cuto opened in 1686 and is
still open today. It was a favorite meeting place during the French
Enlightenment period, where the likes of Voltaire and Jean Jacque
Rousseau waxed philosophical.

In the Western world, like its Middle Eastern counterpart,
coffeehouses were also thought of as subversive places. Because
gathering over a hot cup of coffee made for lively conversation, and
coffeehouses made for great meeting places, rulers of the day feared
that bad things were happening in these cafes.

England's King Charles II had tried to put a stop to London
coffeehouses. He feared that disgruntled subjects of the crown met in
these cafes to discuss government scandals and the like.

But coffee houses also made great places to meet for the purpose of
conducting business. Famous insurer Lloyd's of London got its start
in a coffeehouse since its founder, Edward Lloyd, met in cafes to do business.

Although still a colony, the first coffeehouse in the United States
opened in 1676 in Boston, Mass. And while coffee would be a common
beverage in America, it wasn't until immigrants from Europe began
arriving en mass that coffee houses began to grow in popularity.

Moreover, it wasn't until the 1950s and the so-called Beat
Generation, that coffeehouse gatherings began to be popularized.
Artists, poets and musicians would make these cafes their hang out.

Today, the coffeehouse in America is popularized by franchise, big
corporate businesses, yet the spirit of this millennia-old tradition
is kept alive by the off-beat cafes, like Muddy Waters and the many
independent establishments that have come and gone before it.

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