Kaffee-Ersatz or Ersatzkaffee

Kaffee-Ersatz or Ersatzkaffee (Coffee substitute in English) came about during the Second World War, when coffee beans became scarce and expensive. Hot drinks made from other plants, especially cereals, were offered as coffee substitutes. Even in the late 1940s and early 1950s, real bean coffee was still something special. But it actually has nothing to do with coffee; it is only called that because it is also roasted. Nowadays, there is still Caro coffee, which is made from grain.