The Muhammadan Bean: The Secret History Of Islam And Coffee

Journalist Abdul-Rehman Malik has always been captivated by coffee. Recently, he uncovered a little-known story about its Islamic roots and how this delicious brew came to change the world.

In this programme, Abdul leads listeners on a journey to Turkey as he investigates the forgotten history of his beloved beverage. He discovers that coffee was popularised by Sufi mystics in the Yemen who used the drink as a way of energising themselves during their nocturnal devotions. He also finds out that coffee was drunk in the Sacred Mosque of Mecca itself, until the religious authorities issued a fatwa against it in the 16th century. With no pubs and inns in sight, coffeehouses would bring about a social revolution within the Islamic world. They were the first spaces where people of all social classes could come together to discuss news and gossip. Consequently, the drink was persecuted by those in authority.

Back in London, Abdul scours the city backstreets to find the site of London’s first coffeehouse. He hears how the drink took the capital by storm leading to a backlash from those who despised it and labelled it an “abominable, heathenish liquid” and a “bitter Muhammadan gruel”.

Originating in Ethiopia, finding its spiritual home in the Yemen, evading zealots and Sultans from Mecca to Constantinople, defying prejudice from Vienna to London – coffee made its mark wherever it went, facilitating radical new forms of social exchange. This programme is a celebration of a drink Abdul describes as "a universal libation, a liquid Esperanto".

Presenter/Abdul-Rehman Malik, Producer/Max O’Brien for TBI Media

Publicity contact: BBC Radio 4 Publicity