2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
The first written information about coffee dates back to about 1000 years, but coffee as a tonic and useful product was known centuries ago. To this day, coffee retains its position as one of the most famous and consumed beverages in the world, and its benefits and harms are the subject of constant research and conflicting opinions. It is an indisputable fact that coffee is a powerful antioxidant and has a beneficial effect on the human body, of course, if consumed in reasonable quantities.
History of coffee
Coffee is the second most consumed beverage by humans after water, and this competition is made only by tea. A curious fact is that approximately 400 billion cups are drunk annually in the world coffee - Only oil is of greater economic importance as a global raw material. Ethiopians have used coffee since time immemorial. The Arabs were the first to make the coffee drink from its seeds. Until the 18th century, however, the use of coffee remained very limited.
The first and more detailed information about coffee was found in Arab sources dating back to around 1000 AD. The most famous and considered the best variety of coffee "Moka" is named after the Yemeni port of Moka. It is from Yemen that the popularization of coffee began, although the homeland of the tonic is considered to be Ethiopia, where to this day coffee is found as a wild crop. Gradually, in the following centuries, coffee became the subject of widespread trade, gradually spreading throughout the world.
The first public presentation of coffee in France took place in 1664, when at an official lunch at the Louvre, Louis XIV tasted it for the first time. Subsequently, the king issued a decree approving his favorite drink. But in fact the discovery of coffee in France was a few years later, in December 1669. In Italy, coffee appeared in the mid-17th century.
According to legend, Capuchin monks from one of the monasteries north of Rome invented cappuccino - perhaps the most famous Italian today coffee. Like all ascetics, they were deprived of earthly joys. Well, they invented their own little one - to drink coffee only with milk, which they had previously whipped over hot steam to obtain a rich, fluffy foam. But to make the milk foam more stable, a teaspoon of thick cream was added during the whipping process.
Growing coffee
The coffee tree is a tropical evergreen plant. It needs a lot of moisture and heat, but the strong sun has an unfavorable effect on it and that is why other trees are planted in the plantations to keep it shade. Left to grow freely, the coffee tree can reach a height of more than 10 m. The coffee tree belongs to the genus Coffee from the Rubiaceae family. The following main types are used for industrial purposes: Coffee Arabica (or only Arabica), Coffee Liberica and Coffee Robusta (or only Robusta).
Coffee seeds contain from 0.6 to 2.4% of the alkaloid caffeine (which is mostly associated with chlorogenic acid), nitrogenous substances, fats, sugars, organic acids and many other substances. The fruit of the coffee is ripe 9 months after flowering and can be harvested. The collection of coffee mainly done manually. The main period for picking coffee lasts about 4 months for the Arabica variety, and for the Robusta variety it is a little longer. To obtain a coffee with a pleasant taste, green seeds are stored for several years, during which they ripen.
Coffee composition
The chemical composition of coffee is too complex. It is important to note that there are significant changes in the composition of raw and roasted coffee. Of great importance is its origin, and in roasted coffee - the degree and duration of roasting.
Raw coffee contains: 8.15% water, 11.3% protein, 4.14% mineral salts, 10.95% fat, 47% insoluble matter.
The aqueous solution of coffee has an acidity of about 29%. It contains: 5.25% water-soluble proteins, 1.99% caffeine, 5.7% chlorogenic acid, 5.3% sucrose, 10% unspecified substances.
During the process of roasting coffee, it loses much of its water, but due to the process of gas formation, it increases its volume. Weight loss reaches 23%. Coffee beans contain small amounts of malic, oxalic, pyruvic and citric acid.
Coffee also contains small amounts of sulfur compounds, which become toxic in an acidic environment.
Coffee selection and storage
The best beverages are Arabic "mocha" and Colombian, followed by Guatemalan, Brazilian and Jamaican. They differ in the size of the seeds, in their color, taste and smell, in their absolute and relative weight and in the percentage of alkaloids. Roasted coffee is stored in tightly closed containers in a cool place for 6 months without losing its aroma. The shelf life of ground coffee is much shorter (7-8 weeks).
Culinary use of coffee
The most widespread use of coffee beans is the preparation of a hot caffeinated beverage, without which millions of people can not. Espresso is one of the most common forms of consumption of our favorite coffee. The most common type of coffee used to make espresso is Robusta. It has a higher caffeine content and is cheaper, which is why it is very common.
Schwartz coffee is another very popular variation of the caffeinated beverage. It is lighter than espresso, and it takes longer to prepare, because the boiling water passes through a larger ground coffee for a longer time.
Apart from on its own, coffee can be drunk in combination with milk, cream, cinnamon and even whiskey. The taste of coffee with added milk is indisputable. This is also the most common combination. Different tastes have prompted people to show an enviable imagination in the preparation of coffee. In the summer, no one likes hot drinks, which is why cold coffee, known as frappe or ice coffee, has appeared.
Many derivative mixed drinks such as cappuccino are made on the basis of espresso. Coffee is used in many ice creams, cakes and creams. One of the most famous sweets in the world - tiramisu, owes its divine taste to coffee.
Benefits of coffee
Daily and moderate consumption of coffee - pure, with milk, sugar or cream, is an excellent way to maintain not only tone but also health. In addition to preventing cardiovascular disease, coffee also reduces the risk of colon cancer, Parkinson's disease and kidney stones. Drinking coffee during the day stimulates concentration and increases attention, thanks to caffeine.
Coffee also has a positive effect on mood due to the natural antioxidants contained in the liquid. If the coffee roasting process has been done correctly, quinic acid derivatives affect nerve cells, blocking the painful craving for alcohol or drugs, boosting self-esteem and eliminating the tendency to depression. Drinking two to four cups of coffee a day is not only harmless, but reduces the risk of mass diabetes - type 2, which is acquired due to obesity, stress, hereditary burden.
Harm from coffee
In general, consuming coffee in moderation - up to 3 cups a day, is considered useful. It tones, refreshes and facilitates digestion. Problems can occur if you drink more than 6 coffees a day. The consequences of excessive consumption of coffee are palpitations, tremors, increased nervousness, even fear neurosis. No matter how many positive qualities coffee has, it should never be overdone. Coffee should not be consumed by people suffering from stomach diseases - colitis, gastritis, ulcers.
Consumption of tonic fluid is not recommended for menopausal women. Coffee and other caffeinated beverages contribute to the development of osteoporosis (damage to the skeleton, which is characterized by reduced bone mass: "osteon" - bone, "poros" - holes), to reduce the calcium content in the body, increasing the risk from fractures. Excessive consumption of coffee (8 or more glasses per day) also increases the risk of fetal loss in pregnant women, the risk is 3 times higher than expectant mothers who do not drink at all coffee.
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