WHAT IS TURKISH COFFEE?

Turkish coffee, also known as Arabic coffee, isn’t a different blend of coffee beans. The name describes the method of preparation of coffee by boiling it in a small copper or bronze coffee pot called Cezve. Turkish coffee is always made with sugar and consumed black. The perfect Turkish coffee must be served in small cups and sipped to appreciate its flavours!

HISTORY OF TURKISH COFFEE.

Coffee has an important place in Turkish history and culture. It was first introduced in the Ottoman Empire around the 1540s. There are several theories, but the most popular one is that the Turkish Governor of Yemen – Ozdemir Pasha presented the Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, with a coffee.

Initially, coffee was available only to the elite who employed coffee professionals, called Kahveci Usta, to make it. Over time, some of these past-days “baristas” opened coffeehouses and Turkish coffee became available to everyone.

Bans on coffee in the Ottoman Empire.

In 1633, Ottoman sultan Murad IV prohibited coffee drinking in public places. He believed it provoked social decay and disunity in his capital of Istanbul. By some accounts, “Murad IV stalked the streets of Istanbul in disguise, torturing and decapitating whomever he found engaged in this illegal activity”.

Murad IV was neither the first nor last person to ban coffee drinking in the Ottoman Empire, but he was believed to be the most brutal and successful in his efforts. Between the early 16th and late 18th centuries, different groups of religious leaders pronounced coffee as a narcotic and attempted to suppress coffee drinking. Despite all efforts, coffee culture remains deeply rooted in the Ottoman Empire.

HOW TO PREPARE THE PERFECT TURKISH COFFEE?

To make the perfect cup of Turkish coffee, pour one coffee cup of water into a Turkish-style coffee pot. Add two heaped teaspoons of finely ground coffee and 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar. As a measuring unit for the water, use the cup you will be serving the coffee in. This will produce one cup of coffee. If you don’t have a traditional coffee pot (cezve), you can use a small aluminium pot.

Heat the coffee on the hob at the lowest heat setting. If your hob is too hot, you may need to place an iron plate between the coffee pot and your hob to reduce the temperature. When neither coffee starts bubbling, keep an eye on the coffee. Remove it from the heat as soon as the coffee starts rising in the pot. Be careful at that point, if the coffee boils out of the pot, it will be ruined.

You may think it’s a hassle to prepare Turkish coffee, but it’s worth trying it. Turkish coffee is strong and sweet and wonderfully fragrant!

HOW TO SERVE TURKISH COFFEE?

Turkish coffee is always served with a glass of water. The ritual of drinking it is to first take a good sip of water to clean your pallet and then take a small sip of coffee. The coffee aromas are much stronger on a clean pallet.

I remember Turkish coffee was once served with white cherry jam in coffee shops back home. That was an old tradition inherited by the Ottomans. Nowadays, most places offer Turkish delight or sweet desserts like baklava instead.

Never add cream or milk to Turkish coffee! You must drink it strong and clean to be able to taste the flavours.

TURKISH COFFEE READINGS.

When I was a child my parents always served Turkish coffee to their day guests. We did not have fancy coffee machines then. Nowadays, the tradition of making and drinking Arabic coffee seems to be dying back home, but it is still very much alive in Turkey and Greece and remains an important social ritual there.

In both countries, drinking thick coffee is often followed by another interesting ritual – coffee grounds readings.

Years ago, my granny had a lovely Turkish neighbour who often invited us around for a coffee. As soon as we finished our drink, she would flip our cups upside-down on the saucers for the sediments to drain. Then, she would analyse the shapes and symbols created by the sediments in the cup and tell us our readings. I am not sure how accurate aunty Gulsum’s (means Rose) readings were, but it was fun. Many in the Balkans believe in coffee readings.

CAFFEINE-FREE VERSION OF TURKISH COFFEE.

You can make a healthier version of Arabic coffee by substituting some of the coffee with a mixture of roasted and ground chickpeas and rye, which in Bulgaria we call leblebia. The texture of this healthy version is similar to normal Turkish coffee and the flavours are lovely, although with less caffeine.

A completely caffeine-free version, similar in taste to Nestle children’s coffee, can be prepared with just ground rye and chickpeas mixture.