Talking about Turkish Coffee

There is a proverb in Turkey says that bir fincan kahvenin kırk yıl hatırı vardır(To drink one cup of coffee together guarantees forty years of friendship).For me, Turkish coffee is about important friendship, love and family. It is no longer just a cup of coffee, but a way of life.

Turkey is located at the junction of Europe and Asia. It has experienced the baptism of ancient civilizations such as Byzantium and Ottoman Empire. It integrates rich and diverse Islamic culture. Possessing the prudence of the Islamic world, it also has the openness of the European continent. The local customs and customs are full of exotic colors, and of course they also hide the good taste of the first century.

Since the Ottoman Ottoman Empire, Turkish coffee has occupied a very important position. In 2013, UNESCO (Note 1) has selected Turkish coffee as a UNESCO cultural heritage, and is known as the ancestor of European coffee.

When you arrive in Turkey, you will find that Turkish coffee is everywhere, second only to Turkish black tea. Usually, I drink a cup of Turkish coffee every day. In addition to precipitating emotions, it also eases the pace of life.

Turkish coffee has played an important role in society and has always influenced the way of life and culture of the Turks. The deeper influence is the continuation of social structure and customs, from the hospitality of ordinary people, to the customs of men and women when talking about marriage, from the diplomatic etiquette of the upper class, to the way of interaction of all social strata, all of which can be seen in Turkish coffee. important role. This special coffee culture and customs has continued into this century.

Origin of Turkish Coffee

As early as 1555, two Syrian merchants brought the drink “coffee” to Turkey and from Turkey to Europe. However, Turkey itself does not produce coffee beans, so when the Arabian Peninsula became a territory of the Ottoman Empire, due to the coffee production in Yemen, the nobles and businessmen of the empire introduced coffee beans from Arabia to Istanbul, Turkey (Istanbul, Ottoman). It was called Constantinople during the Empire of Man).

At this time, coffee quickly spread and became popular in Turkey and the Middle East world. At that time, Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire (that is, today's Istanbul), began to have the earliest coffee shops in history, and then spread to Europe.

By the mid-17th century, Turkish coffee had become an important ritual culture. According to historical records, during the Ottoman Empire, the then emperor Suleiman I, the harem of Sultan Süleyman, had a full 40 servants who specialized in brewing Turkish coffee. They pay attention to skills and use “cezve”: a special coffee pot, constantly trying various roasting and brewing methods, just to offer the sultan a cup of the most perfect “royal royal sultan coffee”. The female concubines in the harem also all Must be trained to brew Turkish coffee.

A Cup of Coffee to Decide the Marriage

After the exquisiteness in the imperial city was spread to the people, Turkish husbands would also use a cup of Turkish coffee to examine a woman's virtuousness and judge her merits.

In ancient times, when a Turkish man came to propose a marriage, the woman had to rely on the brewing technology of Turkish coffee to express her feelings and pass the test of the man's family. This tradition still continues in today's Turkish society.

In many blind dates in Turkey today, when the woman expresses her affection to the man, she will add sugar to taste when brewing the coffee. Adding sugar indicates mutual affection. The expectation of marriage; on the contrary, if you add salt to the coffee, it will make the other party retreat.

The Recipe of Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is actually ground Arabica beans into a very fine powder, and spices such as cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon are added to the coffee powder. When simmered, Turkish coffee typically exhibits six levels of flavor, ranging from intense bitterness to very mild sweetness.

Because it can't be added with sugar after it's done, the sugar has to be dissolved in the coffee when it's brewed, so there's no need to stir it with a spoon when drinking it.

Preparation for Making Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee pot cezve
Turkish coffee powder: about 1 tsp 10 g
Water: about 90-100 ml, put in cold water
Lay the turkish pot cezve flat and heat it over the minimum heat
Coffee bean spoon, long spoon

How to Make

Pour in cold water and coffee powder, if you want to add sugar, you must put it at this time, turn on a small fire
After boiling, remove from heat, stir gently and let stand for a few seconds
Repeatedly boil, remove from heat, about three times to produce foam

In fact, there is an unspoken rule for a perfect cup of Turkish coffee: a cup of well-brewed Turkish coffee is usually full of foam on the surface of the coffee, which means that the host welcomes the guests and gives them “face”. Another feature of the Turkish coffee drinking method is that the coffee grounds are not filtered, which can also be used as coffee grounds for divination after drinking.

Most Turks take the art of making coffee very seriously, and pay attention to the brewing process and the object of hospitality. Turkish coffee has an irreplaceable historical position in their hearts. Although it is popular to drink Western fancy coffee nowadays, and coffee expositions are held every year, the Turks still follow the tradition and take pride in Turkish coffee.

If you love coffee as much as I do, I believe you will love this richness. Through this taste, I remember the past and return to the old days of Suleiman the Magnificent, as if the historical scene has never left. After a century of cultural heritage, such a cup of coffee is so precious.

Cafe Recommendation