Sunday, April 27, 2008

Quakers on coffee (1856)

I've been using google books as a research tool and over the weekend I looked at a number of texts on coffee.

There was a bit of an outcry when the Google Books program started but I have to say that as I would not have been able to get to most of the libraries around the world where these texts are stored it is a huge, HUGE boon to the researcher to be able to access the scans of the texts in a searchable form.

Some early material I accessed dated back to the 16th century - pretty good being able to access these works from my own home.

Some of the more recent items were just as interesting.

The clipping below is from a Quaker Newspaper known as the "Friends Intelligencer" and has some great insights into how people of the day used coffee.

Text not available
Friends' Intelligencer By Friends Intelligencer Association, Friends Intelligencer Association


Now I haven't tried the yolk of an egg instead of cream, and while first thing in the morning that might turn my stomach, I will give it a go one morning after breakfast. I guess it is good to keep in mind that the people mentioned in the article were not drinking espresso but a brewed coffee into which the yolk would be stirred - it would add body I guess. . .

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