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Although coffee is not grown in Anatolian land, it has been embraced to the level that its being called as “Turkish coffee”. The adventure of coffee in Anatolia started in 1543, when the Governor of Yemen, Özdemir Pasha, brought coffee to the Ottoman Palace. The coffee which was made and served by craftsmen in the palace became popular in the city very quickly.
The new method of coffee making was as followed: Roasting the coffee beans, fine grinding of the roasted coffee to a fine powder, boiling the coffee in pots called “cezve” and serving in small cups. This new type of coffee, which was famous for its foamy layer and bubbles, took the name “Turkish coffee”. Coffee houses serving Turkish coffee, which were first opened in Tahtakale neighborhood of İstanbul, became widespread in the city and in Anatolia in time, forming an important environment for social life.
Turkish coffee, whose origin dates back to Ottoman Empire, has always been an important drink in Turkish culture. Drinking Turkish coffee is a cheerful activity for Turks, which symbolizes friendship, love and sharing. The Turkish saying of: “One cup of coffee has 40 years of sake” emphasizes the symbolic meaning attributed to this coffee in social relations.
In Turkish tradition, coffee is usually the first thing to serve to the guests at home. When asking for the girl's hand in marriage it is a very common practice that the prospective bride makes and serves coffee to the guests.
It is also a very common practice for Turks to drink Turkish coffee after breakfast. Breakfast which is called as "Kahvaltı" in Turkish has even got it's name from the coffee: "Kahve-altı" from which the word "Kahvaltı" has been derived, means "Under (before) coffee", which is a reflection of Turkish coffee drinking practice in the morning, with full stomach, right after having the breakfast.
Another tradition that takes shape around Turkish coffee is fortune telling: After drinking the coffee, the coffee cup is being turned upside down and waited to cool down, shapes and patterns formed by leftover coffee grounds inside the cup are interpreted by the fortune teller, by using tasseography technique. Generally, fortune telling practice is done to give good news and to highlight positive future prospects.
Considering the richness of the cultural background of traditions and social practices that have been shaped around it, in 2013, Turkish coffee has been inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Traditional Household Items for Turkish Coffee Serving / Ethnography Museum of Ankara (August 2019)
References
Boratav, P. N. (2016) Turkish Folklore in 100 Questions: Beliefs, Morals, Ceremonies and Plays (3rd ed.) Ankara: Bilgesu
UNESCO (2013) Turkish coffee culture and tradition [online] Available from: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/turkish-coffee-culture-and-tradition-00645 (Accessed: 31 August 2019)
Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (2019) Definition and History [online] Available from: http://mehmetefendi.com/eng/turkish-coffee/definition-and-history (Accessed: 31 August 2019)
Durukan, L. (2019) From Core to Culture: Coffee and Coffee House Culture in Turkish Society [online] Available from: https://www.academia.edu/19481858/%C3%87EK%C4%B0RDEKTEN_K%C3%9CLT%C3%9CRE_T%C3%9CRK_K%C3%9CLT%C3%9CR%C3%9CNDE_KAHVE_VE_KAHVEHANE (Accessed: 31 August 2019)
The Economist (2019) How Turkish Coffee Destroyed an Empire [online] Available from: https://www.1843magazine.com/food-drink/world-in-a-dish/how-turkish-coffee-destroyed-an-empire?fbclid=IwAR01oW6KZap4LED9J2GnSLzwQirqatnwouFbYmm6-unlvjwRkTZQR6G3dhE (Accessed: 31 August 2019)
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