viernes, 4 de mayo de 2018

Turkish Coffee: Everything You Need to Know

Cultures have different takes on things, and coffee is no exception.

Turkish coffee (in their language, “Türk kahvesi”) plays an important role in Turkish society (as much as tinto for the Colombians). It comes from an interesting past when coffeehouses were the place to meet fellow countrymen and have long conversations about politics, religion, social and even scientific matters (places visited only by men according to Turkish tradition). But even today, almost 500 years after coffee was first introduced in Turkey, it still fulfills an important role in Turkish social life.

Coffee was first brought to Istanbul back in 1555 by two Syrian traders, and around the mid-17th century, it became an essential part of the Ottoman Court’s elaborate and elegant ceremonies.

The sultan was served coffee by his coffee makers with much parsimony, and these coffee rituals also played a role in marriage-associated customs to an extent that women in the harem received thorough training in the matter of how to prepare the perfect brew for his master. As such, potential husbands could judge a woman by her Turkish coffee-making skills. Even today, when a prospective husband’s family asks the girl’s parents for her hand in marriage, the fiancee is supposed to serve Turkish coffee to his husband-to-be.

The Ways of Turkish Coffee

Coffee: according to the tradition, coffee was cooked on red-hot charcoal embers. Since this is no longer possible in the modern life, the fire of the stove is supposed to beset to the bare minimum. The quantity of coffee is also a precise manner, two teaspoons of coffee per person.

Sugar: the amount of sugar is up to each personal liking, so it’s expected to ask your guests before you start making the coffee. “Sade” is coffee without any sugar, while “orta” is a medium level of sugar, (one teaspoon or a cube of sugar will do), and şekerli is very sweet (two teaspoons or cubes of sugar). Brown sugar can be used, yet white sugar provides more foam, which is a very important feature for many Turkish people.

Water: Turkish only use bottled drinking water, since the chloride in the tap water will spoil the taste and the aroma of the brew. Measure the amount of water by using the coffee cups (one cup per person is the standard).

Coffee pot: in the past, only copper coffee pots or cezve were used, but in these modern times you can find them also in metals like steel or aluminum. Most Turkish kitchens have a set of different sizes of coffee pots to have the perfect match available for the amount of Turkish coffee to be made for their guests.

Fortune Telling is a Thing with Turkish Coffee

The reading of a Turkish coffee cup is a very popular method of fortune telling in their folklore, where the shapes left by the coffee grounds represent the past and future of the drinker. The drinking ceremony is over when a thick layer of grounds appear at the bottom of the cup; when this happens, they often close the cup with the saucer, make a wish, and turn it over. Once the cup has cooled, the shapes it leaves on the side of the cup can be read, usually at a Falcı or fortune teller, many of which can be found all around Turkey.

As you have read, That Coffee Roasters brings a different perspective to the world of coffee. Did you enjoy our article? Do you have any questions about it? Then follow us on our social networks and leave your comments and questions in the section below.