COFFEE !!

             People all over the world drink coffee. It is the world's most popular drink. The French call it cafe, the Germans kaffee, the Japanese koohi, the Turkish kahve. But the people of Sweden drink the most coffee - more than five cups a day. Over half of American adults drink it every day, but not as much as in Sweden. Too much coffee is bad for your health. 

             We don't know who really discovered coffee. There is a popular story about a young man who discovered coffee in Ethiopia, a country in Africa. Arould the year 700, there was a young man called Kaldi who took care of goats. One day, he watched them while they were eating some plants. Soon after they ate the plants, the goats became very excited, and they did not sleep that night. Kaldi tried the plants himself, and he became very excited, too. Other people tried the plants. They decided to boil the plants and then drink the liquid. They too couldn't sleep well at night. This drink become popular and went from Ethiopia to Arabia. By 1200, it was a popular drink in the Arab world. The word coffee comes from the Arab word qahwah. Coffee then traveled from Arabia to Turkey, Europe, and the rest of the world.

       Coffee has been very popular in history. Many famous people loved coffee. The French writer Volataire needed seventy-two cups every day. In 1735, the German musician Johann Sebastian Bach wrote music about coffee. Another German musician, Beethoven, counted sixty beans for each cup of coffee he made. That was strong!

               There are coffee houses and coffee bars all over North America today. There are bars with all kinds of coffee. There are different sizes and flavors. There are bars where you can use the Internet while you drink your coffee!