Old maps of the world often show a line of European castles stretching into Ethiopia and concerted exploration of the area was occurring by the mid-1400s.
I suspect that coffee, which is native to Ethiopia, probably came into Europe via this route before it was regularly imported from the Yemen regions. It probably wasn't roasted coffee (I think the Arabs may have originated the roasting process, but I haven't looked into it).
I am almost certain I have seen the coffee plant, labeled, in at least one or two of the 15th-century herbal manuscripts, but I can't remember the exact dates—I would have to look them up—it might be later in the century rather than earlier.
There are many theories about the origin of the name, probably because the word is somewhat similar in many languages. Some say it comes from the Arabic, others that it comes from the name of one of the coffee regions in Ethiopia (Kaffa). Interestingly, it is pronounced "kaffa" (or close to that) in some languages.
I suspect that coffee, which is native to Ethiopia, probably came into Europe via this route before it was regularly imported from the Yemen regions. It probably wasn't roasted coffee (I think the Arabs may have originated the roasting process, but I haven't looked into it).
I am almost certain I have seen the coffee plant, labeled, in at least one or two of the 15th-century herbal manuscripts, but I can't remember the exact dates—I would have to look them up—it might be later in the century rather than earlier.
There are many theories about the origin of the name, probably because the word is somewhat similar in many languages. Some say it comes from the Arabic, others that it comes from the name of one of the coffee regions in Ethiopia (Kaffa). Interestingly, it is pronounced "kaffa" (or close to that) in some languages.