Whats the Buzz All About Coffee in Different Languages and Cultures

Whats the Buzz All About Coffee in Different Languages and Cultures Whats the Buzz? All About Coffee in Different Languages and Cultures Coffee is a language in itself.Thats according to Jackie Chan, the internationally famous actor, martial artist and (evidently) coffee enthusiast.Its clear why that statement stands true: despite the fact that its always made using essentially the same simple ingredients, the idea of coffee nevertheless manifests itself in very different ways for different people, in different cultures and in different languages.If theres one thing that humanity has in common, though, its that we love a good cup of coffee, however we define the word.All over the world, coffee is a way to get rid of that morning grogginess or that Monday weariness. A  lot of people have coffee to thank for being able to pass as morning people.Coffee lets us be able to go into work or school with a smile on our face, and it gives us the energy to focus on the task at hand, like learning a new language.In many parts of the world its also a way of socializing, with different, sometimes intricate rituals involved in namin g, ordering, serving and consuming different forms of coffee.With all that in mind, one might argue that knowing how to ask for coffee is one of the most important things a language learner will learn.OK, maybe that was a bit of a stretch.Still, coffee is a fun thing to talk and learn about, so today well look at how people consume and talk about coffee in different cultures and languages.So pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee and read on! Whats the Buzz? All About Coffee in Different Languages and CulturesWhere Did Coffee Come From?Coffee has a long history that, according to some, begins in the ancient forests of Ethiopia. Supposedly, a goat herder there discovered the energizing power of coffee after witnessing firsthand the effect that coffee had on his goats, who ate some of the seeds from a coffee plant. Word spread quickly, and soon coffee was being enjoyed from the plains of Ethiopia to the palaces of Persia.Well probably never know the full truth of coffees origin, but its clear that by the 16th century, coffee had made its way to Europe through trade between the Middle East and Italy. As with many new things, it was initially met with a hint of fear and an overreaction towards its bitterness, but soon people really began to enjoy the drink; even the Pope made his approval of it public!Eventually, coffee made its way to America. Tea was still the favored drink there until the Boston Tea Party, after which the colonials turned to coffee. Itsbeana favorite drink ever since then.No matter where you go, youll probably be able to get your coffee, likely without ever having to use a different word to order it.But have you ever wondered why? Why is the word coffee almost universally understood? To paraphrase a talented poet, whats in a name? A coffee by any other name would taste just as bitter.Heres the scoop: The word coffee originally came from Kaffa, the name of a former kingdom and current province of Ethiopia. It was referred to by the Arabs of th e Middle East as ???? (pronounced  /'kah.wa/) before they sold it to the Venetian merchants, who called it caffe. Through a few other twists and turns, that eventually worked its way into English as coffee.Weve touched on the history of coffee and its effect on the world, but theres still so much more. Theres a brilliant book on that very topic called The Devils Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee by Stewart Lee Allen, for coffee lovers who really want to know about the history of coffee around the world, without all that travel fare.For now, lets leave the past behind and focus on the present. Whats coffee culture like throughout the world, and how can we get ourselves a tasty sip of that sweet, caffeinated action?A Must: How to Order Coffee in Different LanguagesBeing able to sit down and chat with someone over a hot cup of coffee is one of lifes great pleasures. So in your quest to master your new language, be it Spanish, German,  French  or any other, it would no dou bt be useful to learn how to actually say coffee in different languages.Heres how to say it in some of the worlds most commonly spoken languages:Arabic:  ???? (qahwa)Chinese:  ?? (Kafei)French: CaféGerman: KaffeeItalian: CaffèJapanese:  ???? (Kohi)Korean:  ?? (Keopi)Portuguese: CaféRussian:  ???? (Kofe)Spanish: CaféRight about now, some of you might be thinking, Well thats not nearly enough for me to start my journey around the world, savoring all the coffee each culture has to offer! Dont worry, we hear you!Here are just a few more languages for the curious:Afrikaans: KoffieDutch: KoffieFinnish:  KahviGreek:  ?af?? (Kafés)Hindi:  ????? (Kofee)Icelandic: KaffiRomanian:  CafeaSwedish: KaffeYou can probably see by now that the word and pronunciation of coffee is more or less universal. And indeed, if you just say that word, regardless of the language, pretty much everyone will know what you want.Now, something you have to understand about all this is that just because the word fo r coffee may look and sound similar around the world, it doesnt necessarily mean that youll be talking about exactly the same thing when you say the word in different places and in different languages.Different Cultures, Different Coffee HabitsIn the same way that pudding can refer to very different things throughout the English-speaking part of the world, coffee (or the words foreign equivalent) will not always refer to the same thing.For example, when you think about having coffee, you might imagine a cup of hot coffee with a cube or two of sugar and some milk, maybe even a snack on the side.But in Finland, people are just as likely to think about drinking coffee while eating  leipäjuusto (bread cheese), which is a slice of squeaky cheese that youre supposed to coat in hot coffee before eating. Its a Finnish favorite.There are many different thingsâ€"some of them maybe quite weird by your standardsâ€"that people put into their coffee and/or eat while drinking coffee.But it isnt j ust the actual drink that might take some getting used to.  In some places, there can be a maze of customs and manners that you need to navigate if you want to drink coffee. Each culture has its own unique rules of etiquette in regards to coffee.For instance, while you can order any kind of coffee at any time of day in Sweden without being gawked at, ordering a cappuccino past morning in Italy is frowned upon.These kinds of customs arent things you absolutely must keep in mind when youre traveling and need that quick pick-me-up, but its always good to be aware, especially since many of these traditions go back a long way.The Turkish coffee tradition has remained the same for centuries, to give just one example. Coffee reached Turkey in the beginning of the 16th century and since then, its been an important part of Turkish culture. They have a very specific way of making coffee, using coffee beans that have been grounded into very fine powder.Everyone Needs Coffee? Gimme a Break!Typi cally, youll be working or studying, gradually losing steam as the day wears on. So on one of your breaks, you head over to the nearest coffeepot or coffee shop to get yourself a lovely cup o joe before that stress starts to mocha you crazy.What weve just described is a coffee break, something everyone has in almost every coffee-loving country. When did the whole world suddenly agree that a short break at work was meant for that wonderfully bitter, black beverage?This  story begins in the late 19th century in a little town in Wisconsin called Stoughton. There, the wives of Norwegian immigrants would leave work for a short while to take care of the kids and also enjoy a much-needed cup of coffee.It was something they were used to doing since coffee breaks stem from a quite  old custom in Scandinavia. In Sweden, for example, its known as fika, and its been a habit of the Swedes for generations, one that has worked its way into the formal business world.The Nordic nations pretty much c reated the concept of a coffee break, a fact those from Stoughton havent forgotten, which is why they celebrate every year in August with the Stoughton Coffee Break Festival.Still, while there were a few workplaces around the globe that adopted coffee breaks as a habit, it wasnt actually made a mandatory break until the mid to late 20th century.Why was it deemed necessary? It wasnt just because coffee breaks are a fun thing to have. Studies show that breaks help people learn and refresh themselves, increasing productivity when they start up again. A little caffeine goes a long way.Plus, coffee breaks are enjoyable, and enjoyment is a huge part of why we drink coffee so much and so regularly. Really regularly.On average, people in America consume at least two cups of coffee per day, while even the supposedly tea-loving  UK  consumes more than 50 million cups a day.The country that statistically loves coffee the most is currently  Finland, followed by Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Diff erent surveys and studies use different methodologies, which can change the order of the top coffee drinkers. Still, in basically every case, the Nordic and other northern European countries claim most of the top spots for coffee consumption.A Part of World CultureThe wonderful thing about coffee is that every nation has had a part to play in its distribution and development. From its humble beginnings in Ethiopia to its current status as our go-to break beverage, coffee is the result of centuries of cultures meeting, combining and innovating in order to socialize and counter the effects of the daily grind.Thats a great thing to remember, too, because while every culture has its own unique spin on coffee (and there are quite a few very unique spins out there), enjoying coffee is something all of them have in common.We drink it when we need energy and we drink it while getting to know someone or spending time with people we care about.Thats why in every country you go to, youll alway s be able to find a coffee shop of some kind, and theyll always understand what you mean when you ask for coffee, even if you dont get the local word for it quite right.Knowing that, when youre ready to go out into the real world and start using those new languages youve been learning, the best place to start might just be the first coffee shop you visit in a foreign country.  After all, finding common ground always makes learning a new language a bit easier.And if you meet someone at a coffee shop and youre looking for a great conversation starter, you can talk about all the interesting  stuff you just learned about coffee! And One More ThingIf you want to learn authentic languages and converse with locals about more than just coffee, youll love FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick lo ok will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.