A legacy as old as the empire's history
Who can say no to the flavor of a foamy Turkish coffee that allure so many people with its aroma? Especially while chatting with our friends, relaxing after a busy day, or resting after a delicious meal...
Here are all the details you are wondering about Turkish coffee…
Turkish coffee is the name of the coffee preparation and cooking method discovered by the Ottomans. Turkish coffee has its own unique taste, smell, cooking and serving style.
Made by brewing finely ground coffee beans in boiling water. The only coffee served with its grounds.
However, the word "Turkish" is not a description of the origin of the coffee bean. Beans used in the production of Turkish coffee come from countries such as Brazil, Yemen ,and Kenya. Although the coffee plant is not grown in Turkey, Turkish coffee is a unique flavor that has become famous all over the world with its special cooking method and is firmly embedded in the culture of daily life.
Coffee, which was consumed by boiling the coffee fruit in water in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula in ancient times, spread to the whole world from Abyssinia (Today's Ethiopia and Somalia region).
Turkish Coffee, which has an important place in our culture, has been the cradle of intergenerational heritage for hundreds of years and is consumed with pleasure.
There are various rumors about how coffee came to the Ottoman Empire.
The first one of these is that coffee was brought to Istanbul by two Syrian entrepreneurs in the 16th century. According to the second rumor, during the reign of Selim the Grim, Yemen Governor Özdemir Pasha brought coffee beans to Istanbul, and thanks to him, the palace met coffee. In the Ottoman Palace, the interest in coffee increased day by day. After a while, a team responsible for buying and cooking coffee was formed in the palace, and the person who managed the team was given the title of Kahvecibası.
In 1554, the world's first coffeehouse (today's cafe) was opened in Tahtakale, Istanbul. Coffee, which is expensive and requires mastery to cook, was served to customers here.
Thanks to the coffeehouses that spread rapidly throughout the city in time, the people met coffee. In coffeehouses, people read books and writings, played chess and backgammon, and talked about poetry and literature.
However, the popularity of coffee and coffeehouses began to draw the reaction of the state administration over time.
Ebussuud Efendi, one of the most prominent Ottoman Sheikh al-Islams, issued a fatwa against coffee. According to him, "It is not permissible to eat or drink something that is roasted and burned until it becomes charred. Drinking coffee in public is to be like Christians. It's not in line with Sharia." Upon this fatwa, all ships bringing coffee were blocked.
For the first time during the reign of Murat III, the coffeehouses were closed on the grounds that state affairs were criticized and daily politics were discussed in these places. During the reign of Murat IV, death sentences were introduced within the scope of wine, tobacco, and coffee prohibition, and coffeehouses were demolished. However, the “Coffee Ban” soon took its place in the dusty pages of history.
It was the Ottomans who introduced coffee to Europe. In the 17th century, Venetian and Marseille merchants in the Ottoman Empire brought coffee to Europe.
However, coffee spread and became permanent in Europe after 1683. Afterward the Ottoman siege of Vienna, the Ottomans left all kinds of stuff that would weigh on the Austrian soil while retreating from Vienna. Turkish coffee was among the spoils left behind.
The people of Vienna did not know what coffee was at that time. A captain among them claimed that the coffee was camel fodder and decided to pour the coffee into the Danube River.
A spy who lived among the Ottomans for many years and worked for Vienna wanted coffee to be given to her.
This spy first went from house to house and then in the public tent he set up, he offered the Viennese small cups of Turkish Coffee and taught them how to cook coffee. Thus, the Viennese learned about Turkish coffee.
In this way, coffeehouses began to open in Europe, and these places became frequented by writers, painters and thinkers over time.
Later, each nation created its own coffee culture, and some coffee cultures managed to be influential on a global scale. E.g; Italian coffee culture, which offers espresso-based coffee options to its consumers, has such an effect.
The negative perception and religious concerns of the state dignitaries about coffee disappeared over time. Turkish coffee defied centuries, entered every home and formed a layered culture that developed around itself.
Cooking and drinking coffee has become a ceremony and a culture. In Turkey, it has become a common tradition to serve coffee to guests. This practice is a kind of courtesy rule in Turkey.
Traditionally, Turkish coffee is brewed in copper pots. Each house has stylish coffee cups reserved for the use of guests. The members of the house drink coffee from the simpler set of cups.
Coffee is offered to guests during religious holidays and to those who came for the sick and condolences. Various sweets (Turkish delight, fudges, chocolate, etc.) and water in small glasses are served alongside the coffee. The mouth is cleansed and prepared for coffee by drinking this water before drinking the coffee.
“Drinking coffee” is like a silent ceremony, in small sips, where almost everyone being served starts and ends at the same time.
At Turkish tables, the coffee that is drunk after the meal is almost a complementary element.
In Turkish culture, the first step of marriage is to go to the bride-to-be's house, ask the bride's father for his daughter's hand in marriage, and then wear engagement rings upon permission. This "kız isteme" ceremony begins with the girl serving the coffee she has cooked with her own hands to the guest delegation and the groom-to-be.
The girl serves coffee first to her parents and then to all the guests there.
Drinking coffee is a prerequisite for making a promise. Coffee is a non-verbal communication tool in this ritual. The offer of coffee indicates that her family has a positive attitude towards the engagement and they will give their daughter in marriage. A well-made coffee means the girl is resourceful.
The groom-to-be's coffee is served separately by adding various spices or salt instead of sugar. Over time, various meanings were attributed to salty coffee, but today it is seen as a test of love. With this symbolic move, the bride-to-be measures the groom's love and commitment to her and by drinking salty or bitter coffee without fear, the groom proves to the bride how much he loves her and will endure all kinds of difficulties for her, just like drinking salty coffee.
Again, every young girl's dowry includes coffee cup sets and coffee pot sets.
Turkish coffee is also a symbol of friendship and companionship. There is an old saying about coffee that goes like this, “A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship.” This means that if one has been offered a cup of coffee, he is obliged for forty years to the one who offered the coffee.
There is also a story behind this saying:
There was a coffee maker who had a coffee house in Üsküdar, Istanbul. People from all walks of life would come to the coffee house to have a heart-to-heart talk with him. One day, a large Janissary soldier (Ottoman soldier of the time) comes to the coffee house and tells him to offer coffee to everyone except the Greek ship captain who is sitting alone in the cafe.
The coffee maker gives everyone the coffee ordered by the soldier then makes two more coffees and sits next to the captain. “Let's drink with you” he says. “Didn't I tell you not to give it to that infidel?” the Janissary angrily says. He replies by saying, "This is my treat, not yours." Later, he had a long chat with the Greek captain over coffee.
About 40 years pass. The Greeks rebel against the Ottoman Empire. The coffee maker is a registered soldier in the Janissary Corps and he is sent to the island to suppress the rebellion but he is captured by the Greeks.
The Greeks put the Turkish captives they captured for sale in a square. Our coffee maker is also among the slaves sold. A Greek who was there buys the coffee maker.
While the coffee maker is worried about his situation, the Greek says that he is the captain of the ship who came to his shop 40 years ago and that he will spare the life of the coffee maker for the sake of that coffee. He releases the coffee maker. They hug and say goodbye.
As this story tells “A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship.”