Countries around the world have different coffee culture. They have their own way of making and drinking coffee at different times of the day.
Turkey has one of the most well known coffee cultures. Until today, the country’s traditional coffee houses remains and they have not been overtaken by the global chain such as Starbucks. Did you know, by the way, that coffee houses in Turkey are considered a male-only environment?
Turkish Coffee
Coffee was introduced to Turkey in the late 15th to early 16th century. The first coffee shop in the country was opened in the 1640’s by Ibrahim Pecevi. Since then, the people there were able to come up with their style of preparing coffee which they termed “Turkish coffee.”
Unlike other coffees around the world, Turkish coffee is roasted and finely grounded. Although no specific type of beans are used, what makes it unique is that their coffee is grounded to the finest possible powder. The coffee beans are grinded by pounding them in a mortar or by using a burr mill.
Considered by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage of Turkey, the Turkish coffee also features four degrees of sweetness. One is sade which is plain with no sugar. The second is az sekerli with little sugar about half a teaspoon. The third is orta sekerli or medium sugar (one teaspoon) and the fourth is cok sekerli or with lots of sugar (one and a half to two teaspoons).
Coffee Tradition
In a traditional Turkish wedding, the coffee is a major part of the celebration. It plays a significant role in the pre-wedding event when the groom’s parents visit the bride’s family to ask for the soon-to-be bride’s hand and blessings of her parents. During this family gathering, the bride is required to serve Turkish coffee to her guests.
But that’s not all there is to it. For the groom’s coffee, the bride-to-be may use salt instead of sugar as a form of character-check. If the man drinks his coffee without complaint, he is said to be patient and good-tempered. During the get-together, the groom’s family is also judging the woman’s coffee making skills.
In other parts of the country, though, this act by the woman is said to show her lack of desire to be married to the man. In today’s world, many people no longer follow tradition and if you’re looking for more tips on love and relationships, F3Y is the right place to go to.
Anothe custom of the Turkish people is they use the grounds left after drinking coffee for fortune telling known as tasseography. After consuming the coffee, the cup is then turned over into the saucer to cool and whatever pattern shows on the inside of the cup from the coffee grounds is to used to foretell a person’s fortune.
Originally posted on October 9, 2015 @ 9:04 am