The cafe has long won the title of a favorite place of meetings, food and rest among people of all ages and statuses. But few people know how and where the first establishments of this type were originated and how they changed over time.
The word "cafe" came from the French "safé", which literally means "coffee". And this is not simple. The ancestors of modern catering leaders are considered coffee houses that appeared several centuries ago. According to one version, the very first coffee shop was opened by two Syrian merchants in 1554 in Istanbul and it was called "Mactab al-Irfan". There was exclusively coffee prepared according to the best recipes of the East.
The idea quickly gained its distribution and similar institutions appeared in Holland (Livorno, 1651. ) and America (Boston, 1670 g.). They were so popular that by the end of the 17th century, coffee shops were opened in large numbers in almost all countries of Europe. In Russia, institutions of this kind began to appear only in the 19th century. They were immediately chosen by the creative bomonth and intelligentsia.
Russian cafes were strikingly different from European. Firstly, the assortment in them was not limited by coffee alone, and secondly, they provided additional services, such as billiards or chess. Over time, cafes around the world began to be more likely to be like clubs in interests, so musical, literary cafes and many others appeared.
Modern cafes are, in fact, small restaurants that have a more modest menu and democratic prices. They may differ in assortment (coffee shop, carbon monoxide, cafe-bell, cafe-bar, etc.), location and contingent (youth, art cafe, children’s, etc.), but to this day in any of them you can always drink a cup of hot coffee.
Unusual cafes in the world
Today in the world there is an uncountable number of cafes of different formats and level, but some of them amaze the imagination of their extraordinary. For example, in Cairo there is a cafe created specifically for dwarfs. It is called "dwarfs of the East" and is very popular among people of small stature. Due to the small size of furniture and cutlery, small clients feel much more comfortable in this institution.
In Prague – the capital of the Czech Republic, in a cafe called "darkness" everyone is invited to spend their breakfast, lunch or dinner in complete darkness. Due to the lack of visual perception during eating, the taste of the most ordinary dishes acquires completely new shades. There are only six tables in this institution and they are never empty.
An equally original idea was implemented by the creators of the cafe “Dinner in the sky”, which first appeared in Brussels. Visitors to this institution are forced to eat food at the table suspended on a lifting tap at an altitude of 50 meters above the ground. In addition, in addition to acute sensations and delicious dishes, guests are invited to listen to music in a living performance. For this, musicians are raised to visitors with the help of the second same crane.
Cafe is a truly universal institution suitable for both a romantic date and family or friendly gatherings. No wonder they remain the most popular vacation spot among all segments of the population for so many centuries in a row.