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You are here: Home / Animals / How Did A Sheep Discover Coffee?

How Did A Sheep Discover Coffee?

July 15, 2020 by Karen Hill

Legend has it, almost a thousand years ago, a shepherd named Kali was grazing his flock in the high, almost barren hills of what is now Yemen in the Middle East.

He was surprised to see his sheep running and playing. This was unusual because his animals were usually too busy trying to find grass to have a moment for sport.

Then Kali saw one of the rams chew at the beans of a half- shriveled tree that grew on the far side of a low hill. As he watched, the sheep stretched higher and higher, eating all the beans it could reach.

The more it ate, the happier it seemed to become. Kali went to see what his prize ram was eating and finally chewed on the small green bean himself. Soon, he felt his spirits rise. He felt refreshed. Kali was smart. He knew a good thing when he found it.

Soon Kali had many of these trees. He toasted the green beans until they became a lovely brown and their bitter flavor had mellowed. He found a way to cook them in water and make a pleasant, stimulating drink. He gave up sheep herding, and did nothing but sell his wonderful brown beans.

He became very rich. Kali had discovered coffee and its stimulating alkaloid, caffeine.

Related Facts

  • How did Sheep Get its Name, Where did Sheep Come From, and Why are Sheep So Dumb?
  • Where Did Coffee Come From and Who Were the First People to Discover and Drink Coffee?
  • How Many Different Species of Sheep Are There in the World and Where Do Sheep Live?
  • How Was the Sheep Important in the History of Agriculture and How Much Wool Does a Sheep Produce in a Year?
  • Why Do Sheep Always Run In a Straight Line In Front of a Car and Not To the Side and Why Are Sheep So Dumb?
  • Who invented coffee and How did people learn how to make coffee?

Filed Under: Animals

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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