Coffee, the beloved beverage that accompanies the routine of many Limassolians today, has often been an issue of discussion about its place of origin. Others say that the coffee is Geek, Arabic, Turkish and others they call it Cypriot. The history of Limassol, taking us back to the era of the Ottoman domination, seems to shed enough light and resolve the conflict, since the appearance of the first coffee shops in the city proves that Limassol began to embrace the coffee at that time.
With the harbour being the centre of commerce, the core of Limassol's economic activity and communication with the rest of the world, the city had slowly begun to create public places of gatherings around it, the so-called coffee shops, offering coffees with strong scent made fiercely from the owners of the shops. Thus, at the time of the Ottoman domination of the island, there were several coffee shops, galleys and restaurants near the harbour, which were gathering a lot of people every day, from the citizens who were going to enjoy their coffee, to the people working at the port, or the merchandisers who were to sign financial agreements.
The new, then, trend began to spread and became a favourite habit to the people of Limassol the years that followed. The coffee shops were built mostly at coastal and central locations, outdoor or indoor and they were mainly gathering men. Thus, residents of every social class used to meet at the coffee shops to exchange the political, social and economic news of the city, to read their newspaper and discuss various issues.
Limassolians were sitting around the small tables, enjoying their coffee, while pretty often they used to smoke shisha, a habit that began to develop during the Ottoman domination.
Today, although the image of the coffee shops has changed in a great extent, the habit remains the same. The cafeterias in Limassol, gathering people from different ages, is far more than a place for coffee. At these places, Limassolians find a friendly venue to share their concerns and their happiness, just like they used to do back then.
Photos: Pattichion Municipal Museum - Historical Archive - Limassol Study Center, Lemesou Mnimes
* NOTE: The tributes of the Project "History of Limassol" present information that has emerged from historical research thus far. Any new data is embedded into the tributes, once it has been confirmed.
