The nature of the drink kauhi, or coffe, and the berry of which it is made described by an Arabian phisitian. by Dåawåud ibn 'Umar Anòtåakåi
This month’s featured text is The nature of the drink kauhi, or coffe, and the berry of which it is made described by an Arabian phisitian, by Dåawåud ibn 'Umar Anòtåakåi. He was an Arab physician born in Antioch, Syria. Though blind, he traveled extensively through Damascus, Cairo, and finally Mecca. He learned Greek and wrote many books including his most famous one, Tadhkirah (a medical compendium). He also wrote extensively on topics like astrology, love, and even composed a treatise on the philosopher's stone. He died in Mecca in 1599.

This pamphlet is interesting for several reasons. First, it is printed in both English and Arabic, and demonstrates an interest in ideas from the Arab world. Also, it treats coffee more as a medical condition than a drink (as one might expect from a physician). As a medicinal plant, the coffee bean is effective against diseases like small pox and measles, but, if one drinks it with milk, then it may cause leprosy. The Arab world was known for many of its medical ideas later adopted by much of Europe, and having a treatise in Arabic probably lent legitimacy to the text itself. Finally, coffee, chocolate, tea, and other drinks from the East were beginning to gain popularity in England, and in the seventeenth century, it was common for people to gather at coffee houses. This book perhaps reflects the initial interest in coffee as a drink.

Featured Text Archive