Turkish Coffee: A national tradition

  • Published
  • By Mehmet Birbiri
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Surprising to many, coffee beans are not grown in Turkey. However, Turkish coffee has been popular in Turkey since about the middle of the 16th century. 

Coffee consumption spread to the Arabian Peninsula in the 15th century. 

Beans were brought to Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, from Yemen. 

From Istanbul, coffee found its way West and within a few decades of its introduction, Europeans were "taken" with this new drink. 

During the Seige of Vienna in 1863 there was a blockade that lasted several months. The Turks did not have logistical materials and food, but they had plenty of sacks of coffee on-hand. 

The Ottoman armies eventually withdrew, leaving behind the sacks of coffee. Legend has it that Turks introduced coffee to the locals and opened the first coffee shops in Europe. 

Although it is believed coffee was introduced to Europe by the Turks, Europeans prepare their coffee in a different way then they do in Turkey. 

Turkish coffee is prepared with finely powdered beans. The coffee should be roasted and ground when they are still warm for best results. Coffee drinkers can also buy coffee that is already ground. 

Cezve, a small metal pot with a long handle, is used to prepare and brew Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is enjoyed with small coffee cups that could be used for measuring ingredients. 

Preparing Turkish coffee: 

*Place one cup of water and one generous teaspoonful of coffee into the cezve for each cup of Turkish coffee you want to prepare. You can adjust the strength according to your taste. 

· Add sugar if you want sweet coffee. You shouldn't add sugar after the coffee is poured because it will change the flavor of the coffee. Some people boil the water first then add sugar to the ground coffee. 

· When asking for sugar you should say "sekerli" for sweet coffee, "orta sekerli" for medium sugar, "az sekerli" for little sugar, or "sade" for without sugar. The sugar can be adjusted acording to the individuals' tastes. 

· Place the cezve with the ingredients on low heat, stirring slowly. When the coffee begins to boil, remove it from heat, pour a little of the froth into each cup and place the cezve on the heat again. Let it rise one more time and pour the rest in the cups. The art of Turkish coffee is not to lose the froth. 

· A cup of drinking water is also served with Turkish coffee. It's customary to take a sip of water and rinse the mouth to clear it from any former tastes. This way you can get the full coffee flavor. 

· Turkish coffee is served very hot. It should be sipped slowly and gently, taking care to inhale the fragrance and flavor.
Make sure you don't drink the grounds at the bottom.
Reading people's fortunes by coffee cups is very popular and common in Turkey.