A Delightful Collection from Editions Orients
The Editions Orients, led by Ysabel Saïah-Baudis, offer a charming collection of books that, despite their small format, are packed with great erudition and extensive documentation. La Presse — "Kawa Arabica" is dedicated to... the history of coffee, as you may have guessed. "Take Arabic coffee with us. You might feel like humans like us," wrote the great Mahmoud Darwich. And Sheikh Abdel Kadir had already said: "Coffee is the little sister of freedom." This book attempts to recreate this freedom, sharing, and humanity. The map of coffee is vast, complex, and spans both hemispheres. Arabica coffee originates from the depths of civilization to become a staple in European royal courts. "Behind the small cup, four centuries of Orientalism contemplate us," writes Ahmed Youssef in the preface of this fragrant book. The author is none other than Antoine Galland, better known for his work on "One Thousand and One Nights." In 1699, he wrote a little-known treatise: "On the Origin and Progress of Coffee." The history of coffee is romantic, gourmet, full of twists and turns, and skillfully fragrant - just like the book itself.
