Coffee Was Once A Crime: The Shocking History Of The World’s Favourite Drink

By Oneindia News

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Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, but did you know it was once banned, its beans burned, and its drinkers threatened with severe punishment? The history of coffee is filled with political power struggles, secret smuggling, and rulers who feared what happened when ordinary people gathered over a cup. In 1511, authorities in Mecca shut down coffee houses, fearing the gatherings and conversations they encouraged. Later, Ottoman Sultan Murad IV imposed harsh punishments on coffee drinkers. Meanwhile, Yemen controlled the early coffee trade through the port of Mocha and tried to prevent fertile coffee seeds from spreading beyond its borders. But coffee could not be controlled forever. According to a famous account, a Sufi pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee seeds from Yemen to southern India, helping coffee cultivation spread beyond Arabia. Over time, Dutch and French traders carried coffee plants to other parts of the world, transforming the global coffee trade

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