Many times one is asked if you are a tea person or a coffee person. My reply is always coffee. Although I like to drink tea and now green tea after every meal, owing to its digestive and slimming properties, I love my coffee. It energises the body and its aroma stimulates the senses. I remember having a teaspoonful of coffee during my exam time in school in order to remain awake late at night to study. I always cursed myself for not being regular in studies during the year.
Tea was discovered much earlier—the earliest records indicate of tea consumption in 10th century BC—while coffee is stated to be discovered in Yemen, although some say that it was discovered in Ethiopia around 15th
century. Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of berries from the coffee plant. There are two common varieties—Arabica and Robusta. The coffee plant is cultivated in 70 countries, primarily, in the equatorial regions of America, Africa , south east Asia and India.Even though coffee was discovered much later, it’s one of the major export commodities. According to some surveys, it’s the second most valuable commodity exported by developing countries.
Not only coffee, but any coffee-flavoured eatables—be it a simple coffee candy, a humble coffee tea cake, coffee cookies or a delightful tiramisu and not to forget coffee-flavoured liquors like Tia Maria (which I use sparingly in my dessert recipes)—are my weakness. Let me share two of my favourite recipes with you in this week’s column. One is a coffee icing liquor cake and the other is an all-time international favourite Tiramisu—a signature Italian dessert.
