Comments on: How a coffee shortage killed the confederacy

By: pbc

pbc — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:36:45 +0000

Coffee is also my favorite harmless addiction, and I have often noted how little work would get done in this country without it. It occurs to me that this is a direct parallel to the use of coca leaves by workers in South America. Interesting to note that there are efforts to criminalize coca as a drug, but not ‘coffeine’.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:04:25 +0000

I remember a similar story we learned as kids (I’m Nashville raised): since the South had all the cotton plantations, the Union had to find an alternate source of absorbent material for use in medical/surgical settings. What they ended up turning to were sea sponges. I can’t rightly remember much of the detail but an interesting tidbit none the less.

By: John P

John P — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:22:03 +0000

Awesome, but I don’t think a coffee shortage killed the Confederacy. However, it really shows how desperate the Confederacy was due to the huge shortage of goods. Acorns, yuck

By: Doc

Doc — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:17:34 +0000

Redfish,

Thanks for mentioning chicory. I was going to, but you beat me to the punch.

My great-grandmother lived in Oklahoma from 1891 until she died in 1985. Her family migrated to OK from western Kentucky (or TN, depending on who you ask) when she was quite small. They brought the taste for chicory with them, relics of The War of Northern Aggression. She insisted on mixing one part chicory with three parts ground coffee. I aquired the taste for it as a teenager visiting her. Coffee was not served in our home, we drank iced tea.

One used to be able to buy a chicory/coffee blend in supermarkets, but don’t see it anymore and can’t recall the brand name.

By: GTT

GTT — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:12:33 +0000

I LOVE COFFEE! I actually had to cut down on my coffee consumption due to a caffeine overdose in college that left me with body tremors, heart palpitations and a cold sweat.

That said, I could not give up coffee completely. I will automatically OD if I have more than one cup a day but that ONE cup is absolute heaven.

(Oh, and IÂ´m note trying to advertise but has anyone tried the Toffee Nut Latte from Starbucks? They only have it for Christmas and it is absolutely delicious!)

By: Redfish

Redfish — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:02:34 +0000

Here in New Orleans we still add chicory to our coffee because the local French population developed a taste for this blend during their own civil war. Coffee was also scarce during the French Revolution so it was supplimented with ground roasted chicory root, a variety of endive or lettuce. The Acadians, the ancestors of the Cajuns, came down from Nova Scotia with the taste for coffee and chicory as well as many other French customs. The chicory actually takes the bitter edge out of the French dark roast coffee especially when heated milk is added to make the traditional New Orleans Cafe Au Lait.

By: Bassman

Bassman — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:41:23 +0000

Ditto Ziggy. That was a very itneresting thing to learn and isn’t covered in history books.

By: ziggy

ziggy — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:18:40 +0000

thanks for the historical tidbit…keep’em coming