The True Hero Behind the Advancement of Human Civilization: Not the Steam Engine or Electricity, but "Coffee" [Delicious Stories]

Coffee's Pivotal Contribution to the Advancement of Human Civilization
From Alcohol Dependence to Liberation Through Coffee
'Cognitive Revolution' Sparked by Coffee's Stimulating Effects

Editor's NoteIt is said that the earliest sweets were discovered in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Sweets have indeed accompanied every moment of human history. From biscuits and chocolate to ice cream, we share delicious stories behind the treats we love.

Coffee. Pixabay

What triggered the Industrial Revolution and helped humanity escape poverty? While one might think of countless innovations such as the steam engine, electricity, or the internet, there is a true unsung hero: coffee. Coffee, as essential as machines or energy, invigorated the "power of the mind" and drove the world economy forward.

Coffee: The Core of Europe’s Revival... Even the World's Largest Insurance Market Was Born in a Café

Coffee, which was enjoyed in the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire, is known to have spread to Europe around the 15th and 16th centuries. This was about 100 years before the Industrial Revolution began in Britain. The bitter yet fragrant coffee bean quickly captivated Europeans and gradually became the principal beverage representing European civilization.

Edward Lloyd's Coffee House (left), which once gathered British intellectuals, has now become Lloyd's of London, the world's largest reinsurance market. Lloyd's website

After that, something remarkable happened. In major European cities, "coffee houses" began to replace taverns. Labor productivity increased, international trade grew explosively, and the foundations of economics were established.

Coffee houses, the forerunners of today’s cafés, served as meeting places for leading European intellectuals and as marketplaces where merchants exchanged information about the latest goods and made investment plans. Lloyd's of London, now the world's largest reinsurance market and a dominant force in marine insurance, also began in the late 1600s as "Edward Lloyd's Coffee House." Adam Smith, the founding figure of capitalism and author of The Wealth of Nations, was able to focus on his writing while drinking coffee in British coffee houses.

Drunken Humanity, Sparked a Cognitive Revolution with Caffeine

It is no coincidence that all these developments were triggered by the introduction of coffee. According to "Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World" by American historian Mark Pendergrast, coffee brought about a "cognitive revolution" by correcting humanity's long-standing unhealthy dietary habits.

Since thousands of years before Christ, humans had fermented grains to make beer. Beer, with its alcohol content, killed bacteria in water and extended its shelf life. In ancient and medieval times, when clean water was hard to come by, people drank weak beer with an alcohol content of 2-3% as if it were water. In the morning, they ate "beer soup," made by boiling beer, and after hard work in the fields, they quenched their thirst with beer.

Medieval-Style Recreated Beer Soup. In the Middle Ages, when clean water was scarce, people boiled beer made from fermented grains and ate it for breakfast, quenching their thirst with beer instead of water. Screenshot from Alehorn website

This means that, even until the Middle Ages, most workers spent 24 hours a day in a state of intoxication. As a result, their cognitive abilities and physical stamina declined, and they tired quickly. However, the situation changed once coffee became available to farmers. Pendergrast wrote, "Once coffee, formerly a drink for the nobility, spread to the general public, breakfast changed from beer soup to a cup of coffee." Long breaks for workers turned into short "coffee breaks," and thanks to the stimulating effect unique to coffee, work became faster and more efficient. This allowed people to work longer and more efficiently than before.

Coffee Research Led to Advances in Chemistry

Business owners running farms or factories also recognized the benefits of coffee early on, based on their experience. According to the paper "Coffee Consumption and Health Applications" by Edward Fisher, Professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University, American farm owners in the 1600s referred to coffee, sugar, and cacao as "drug food," and provided them to their workers.

After repeated research, instant coffee extractors were completed in the late 19th century in the United States and Europe. The photo shows a coffee extractor invented in the 1890s. Smithsonian Museum website

Professor Fisher explains, "Coffee helped propel the expansion of European civilization in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the 17th century, coffee had completely replaced alcohol, and doctors regarded coffee as a cure-all for every disease, administering it to patients as a beverage, potion, or even injection."

The increase in coffee consumption led to the expansion of maritime trade and even contributed to the early development of chemistry. Scholars curious about coffee’s effects analyzed its components by various means, laying the foundation for the "scientific method." Professor Fisher notes, "In Britain, Germany, and France, the development of coffee consumption and experimental science occurred simultaneously. While coffee was once considered a 'strange drink from the Middle East' in Europe, by the 19th century it was redefined as a 'chemical action affecting the human body.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.