For the sake of forty years: World Turkish Coffee Day
Our elders once said, “A cup of coffee served remains in the heart for forty years!”. They are not wrong. Turkish coffee is an intangible cultural value that brings people closer and somehow deepens the conversation. Appropriately, UNESCO added Turkish coffee to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list at the 2013 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. From that time, December 5 has been celebrated as World Turkish Coffee Day. In honor of this special day, we take a deep dive into the history of Turkish coffee!
The history of Turkish coffee: From far away
Before we discuss the history of Turkish coffee in particular, let’s explore the origin of coffee as a refreshing beverage. One coffee origin story is that of a young goatherd called Kaldi, who lived in the Kaffa region of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). Kaldi observed that his goats were eating red berries from a certain tree – and that those goats seemed more energetic after eating the fruit. Kaldi, curious, sampled the berries, chewed the seeds, and was soon feeling as lively as his goats. Word about these berries spread around Kaldi’s community, and a coffee culture of sorts was launched. After experimenting with various methods of consumption (chewing the leaves, brewing them into a weak tea-like liquid, fermenting them into a wine), the idea of roasting and grinding the beans emerged.
In his book, Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World, Mark Pendergrast writes that “when the Ethiopians invaded and ruled Yemen for some fifty years in the sixth century, they deliberately set up coffee plantations.” Coffee was at first consumed, according to Pendergrast, by Arab Sufi monks, who deployed its stimulant properties to “stay awake for midnight prayers more easily.” Soon enough, wealthy families were setting up special rooms for coffee drinking, while the less wealthy gathered in cafes, called kaveh kanes. By the end of the 15th century, coffee brought by Muslim pilgrims was a solid fixture in Persia, Egypt, Türkiye, and North Africa.
The arrival of coffee in İstanbul and its place in the palace cuisine
The history of Turkish coffee begins with the Ottoman empire. As the Ottoman governor of Yemen, Özdemir Pasha drank coffee; Ottoman dominion over Yemen meant that the sultans had control of the coffee plantations and coffee beans became an important export throughout the Ottoman empire. Meanwhile, in İstanbul, coffee became an indispensable beverage in the sultan’s palace: rather than boiling the coffee fruit with water, as was done on the Arabian Peninsula, the Ottoman chefs devised a new method.
First, the beans were roasted and finely ground. Then, the powder was cooked slowly and carefully with water (and sugar to taste). The brewing took place in a dedicated pot known as an ibrik or a cezve (a small conical copper pot with a long handle). This brewing method results in Turkish coffee which, at its finest, has a bit of froth at the top and grounds that settle to the bottom of the cup. Typically, the Turkish coffee service in the palace was an elaborate ritual accompanied by sweets and sherbets. Palace guests, such as ambassadors and other envoys, brought coffee back to Europe where it was, for years, consumed in the Ottoman style.
A nuanced past: Coffee culture in Türkiye
Coffee culture in Türkiye is more than five hundred years old, giving it a prominent place in the country’s culinary traditions. Usually consumed in the morning or before lunch, Turkish coffee is also consumed after meals as a digestive. The Turkish coffee service is an integral element of certain religious holidays, and family celebrations such as engagements and weddings.
In addition, drinking Turkish coffee in a traditional coffee house is a long-standing custom, offering participants opportunities for socializing and far-ranging conversations. Given the significance of coffee houses in Turkish culture, let’s take a look at these establishments.
The birth of coffee houses
In 16th-century İstanbul, a city of stone-paved streets and wooden houses with bay windows, the first coffee houses opened in Tahtakale, a district in Eminönü.
More coffee houses were opened in the city, gradually taking root in every neighborhood. In these establishments, patrons not only consumed coffee, they listened to poetry and stories and played games such as chess and backgammon.
Turkish coffee varieties
From İstanbul, the coffee house culture took root in other Anatolian cities, with different geographies developing their own brewing and drinking rituals.
For instance, cavalry coffee served in wasp-waisted tea glasses is among the most popular varieties in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. Other varieties include the decaffeinated menengiç coffee (made with berries from the terebinth tree), coffee cooked in the ashes of a metal brazier, Turkish coffee with chocolate, Turkish coffee with mastic gum, and dibek coffee (coffee ground with a mortar and pestle).
Today, the best Turkish coffee can be found at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, Harput Dibek Coffee, İbrahim Bey Turkish Coffees, Ahanda Turkish Coffee, and Kocatepe Turkish Coffee.
Famous Turkish coffee shops in İstanbul and Türkiye
Although Turkish coffee is a fixture in almost every home in our country, there are historic coffee shops in İstanbul and other cities where special cooking techniques are applied. An example is Mandabatmaz (“the buffalo won’t sink”), in Beyoğlu, İstanbul. The café’s name comes from the thick foam on the coffee: “The foam is so thick that a buffalo can walk across it…”
Cumbalı Kahve in Balat, Sade Kahve in Rumelihisarı, and Okkalı Kahve in Kadıköy, as well as Şark Kahvesi in the Grand Bazaar and Bebek Kahvesi in the Bebek neighborhood, are also venerable addresses where you can drink delicious Turkish coffee varieties. If you find yourself craving authentic Turkish coffee, just fly to İstanbul and go on a delicious journey!
Outside of İstanbul, other renowned coffee houses include Madam’ın Dibek Kahvesi, in Çanakkale Gökçeada; Tahmis Kahvesi in Gaziantep, which is famous for its menengiç coffee; Kızlarağası Inn in İzmir, where coffee is brewed in the cup; and Sülüklü Han in Diyarbakır. All are historical places where you can observe unique Turkish coffee making techniques.
Making foamy Turkish coffee
Such a refined taste, of course, requires careful preparation and cooking. Here are some suggestions for making the perfect Turkish coffee:
- To preserve the freshness of the coffee, remove the Turkish coffee from its packaging and store it in a glass jar in a cool and dry place.
- Use a Turkish coffee pot for traditional cooking. Of course, you can also use electric coffee pots or Turkish coffee machines, but the most basic method deploys the cezve.
- Before cooking the coffee, prepare your cups – sugar, water, and Turkish coffee.
To make Turkish coffee, follow the steps below:
- For each cup, put a teaspoonful of Turkish coffee in the cezve.
- For sweet coffee, add two cubes of sugar; for medium sweet coffee, one and a half cubes; and one cube for less sweet coffee. Do not add sugar if you prefer unsweetened coffee. Add a Turkish coffee cup-full of water for each serving and mix. Put the cezve on the stove and cook it slowly on low heat.
- Add a Turkish coffee cup-full of water for each serving and mix. Put the cezve on the stove and cook it slowly on low heat.
- When the brew approaches the boiling point and begins to rise, remove the pot from the stove and distribute the foam formed on it into the cups.
- Bring the remaining coffee to a boil and pour it into the cups. In this way, the foam will rise to the top and you will have perfectly prepared your traditional Turkish coffee.
Traditional Turkish coffee presentation
After preparing the perfect Turkish coffee, you can serve it in special-sized cups, accompanied by a small glass of cold water and sweets such as Turkish delight or sherbet. Traditionally, the water is consumed before the coffee, as this enhances the flavor.
Turkish coffee benefits and different uses
The benefits of Turkish coffee and its different usage areas are well known among Turkish people. If consumed in the optimal amount, Turkish coffee is said to promote energy and focus, and also to have antioxidant properties.
And there’s more! For example, the grounds that accumulate at the bottom of the cup can be used as a face mask, placed in the refrigerator as deodorizer, or used as nutrients for houseplants.
Of course, there is also the tradition of “reading” the coffee grounds. We are hopeful that Turkish coffee, which is already globally known, will become even more popular. We’re also wondering if you’ve made yourself a cup yet.
Afiyet olsun! ☺
