SC - Coffee, Tea, and OOP

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Dear Friends:

On another list in a thread on What Food to Bring to War (some folks 
here are on it too), someone asked if coffee was period.

I blundered in and wrote:

Well, coffee is only late period, say around 1400 or 1450 and only if 
you are a Middle Easterner (men hung out in coffee houses, no 
kidding). But no coffee in Europe until after period.

That said, if i don't have just one cup in the morning before 10 AM i 
get a terrific (and i don't mean good) headache.

Tea, on the other hand, is not at all period, either for Europeans or 
Middle Easterners (probably is period for South Asians, certainly is 
for East Asians).

A tisane, however, is fine (that's the word for "herb tea"). So drink 
your tisanes :-)

- -----

Someone responded, and i quote (with spelling corrections by me):
>Uh, not exactly true. When Emperor Maximilian of Germany captured the City
>of Verona back from the Turks in 1520?, he did so by agreement after a
>protracted siege. He did so as King Louis of France was about a week away with
>a larger army, also intent of recapturing Verona for Christianity 
>(and political
>leverage). When Maximilian, took possession, the only 'food' that was found
>was a warehouse filled with dark beans. The usual bean preparations 
>resulted in
>unpalatable and inedible dark paste and in desperation, a bean broth 
>was served.
>Fortunately for Maximilian, King Louis paid off Maximilian some 30,000 gold
>Franks for the city. Emperor Maximilian marched out, hungry, far richer, and
>wired from nothing to eat but 3 days of coffee!

- -----

Someone else responded (spelling corrected by me):
>Coffee, (like potatoes & chocolate) is only late period.  Again, Larousse
>Gastronomique ( the OED of Food), has coffee in Aden in 1420,
>Constantinople in 1550, Venice in 1615, and France in 1644.  However, in
>Europe it was mostly considered an "exotic & therapeutic product". It was
>not common or fashionable in Europe until @1670+.  So, like potatoes &
>chocolate ( popular as a DRINK in the French Court of 1615), it is barely
>period.  I would say enjoy, but think prior to entering any of these 
>in a cooking
>contest or period feast, and then document the hell out of it.

>Re. "Tea"-- My favorite source again (Larousse Gastronomique, 1998 printing,
>pg. 1068, C1984)-- "The beverage was brought to Europe in the 17th century
>by the Dutch, and reached England in 1644."  Just barely period, and again,
>1st used mostly therapeutically.

- -----

And finally, some thoughtful person asked if there were
>any pre-1200 sources of caffeine. Were any available herbal teas of notable
>caffeine content?

While another pondered:
>...most cultures have some kind of a legal stimulant (coffee, [coca] 
>leaves, tea)
>and some kind of depressant (alcohol, opiates, chamomile). We know Medieval
>Europe had plenty of depressants, but what was the common stimulant? Life
>was frequently cold, hard, and days were long. I know they must have had
>something? Anyone know what?

- -----

Any comments? suggestions? sources? quotable anecdotes?

Thanks,

 From the fully caffeinated
Anahita al-shazhiya