Is coffee a vegetable? There’s a lot of surprising truth and facts about your favorite morning kick start cup. Whichever way you like to drink coffee, black-no-sugar, cappuccino, we can say it appeals to people differently.
It is the cornerstone of corporate giants like Starbucks and Ma’an Coffee. Behind that deep aroma and earthy taste, there is a tale to be told. The tale of how coffee came to be, is one that’s shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
What we hold on to today is the flavor and satisfaction that comes with it. From the master brewer to normal folk like me, we appreciate all that made it possible. Unknown to most of us, coffee comes from a fruit, and thus begins the tale:
In short, coffee is not a vegetable but rather a fruit. It’s indeed a long journey of coffee from the moment it is a green bean placed in the soil until it becomes your dark brown cup.
What is The Truth About Coffee?
It’s difficult to imagine our lives without coffee. It has become an everyday staple for people all over the world. Not only does it taste great but it has an amazing, rich aroma that makes our café experiences all that more memorable.
Coffee is mostly consumed all over the world for different reasons either medicinal, dietary, leisure or as an energy drink to kick start one’s day or pump up focus after a long one. However a few of us have the knowledge of what coffee is, where it comes from and the appearance and form of its mother plant.
Coffee is a genus of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is in the form of shrubs or small trees which are found in tropical Southern Africa and tropical Asia. There are more than 70 species of these coffea shrubs but only Coffea Arabica L. andCoffea canephora Pierre are economically.
What Color Are Coffee Cherries?
The Coffea plant produces red to purple cherry berries which contain the bean seeds, which will then go through series of processes before it is roasted and grinded into dark brown or black coffee powder that most of us enjoy.
After the coffee cherries have turned from green to red or purple, they are then picked and send to different kind of processes.
The fruit is then either dried or even washed off the beans. The coffee beans will be roasted to certain various degrees according to each coffee institution’s requirements.
Debates are taking place in regards to whether coffee is a vegetable or a fruit. Is coffee a vegetable or fruit? Scientist, Biologists, and other experts in Academia are yet to answer.
A coffee tree is actually unrecognizable to non-coffee experts due to its beautiful aromatic white to a reddish pink flowers that grow from its branches.
The Coffee Bean
For most of us the image that comes to mind when we hear about coffee, is the brown roasted coffee beans or the dark brown powder that we use to make our cup.
But before they get to store shelves or our cups those seeds came a long way. As such we might only be limited to the end product.
The bean seed scientifically known as the endosperm comes from the cherry fruit produced by the plant. The coffee seed possess an oval shape or egg-shape and a longitudinal furrow on the plane surface.
Is Coffee Actually a Bean? However just because of its resemblance to a bean seed we might refer to it as a bean thereby categorizing it as a leguminous vegetable. Technically speaking, coffee beans aren’t actually beans. They just look like beans.
Can You Eat Coffee Cherries?
If coffee cherries are fruits then why don’t we have them in markets and are they edible? Can we eat them like all the fruits we know? Yes coffee cherries can be consumed but due to its thin flesh skin which when you bite you easily get hold of the bean seed inside them can be a bit not good.
What Do Coffee Cherries Taste Like? The skin of the coffee berry is rough and despite that they’re mild in flavor and slightly sweet.
Its flavor is reminiscent to other fruits like red mulberry, raspberry. They can be used for compost making in order to make organic fertilizer for the plants.
They are highly perishable so they don’t travel very well as fruits and they’re not normally sold for consumption therefore most coffee cherries producers don’t ship them as whole cherries. However some companies are now selling cascara which is dried husk of the coffee berries.
Conclusion
Now that you know that coffee is a fruit and not a vegetable ,it’s a good thing to know just how your favorite coffee came to be in your kitchens cupboard. If it’s your hobby or favorite activity drinking coffee due to its delicious taste and above all tolerate its high caffeine content then don’t hesitate to pour yourself a cup or more throughout the day. However it is all about perception.