I love coffee. I mean, really love coffee. Like many of you, I really enjoy a great espresso but also appriciate the finer things in life...
My love for it began at a time when most Turkish kids are enjoying cola and ice cream, dipping chips into soft Turkish yogurt, or eating sausages and ketchup. There was, only just turned 12, in our small, cozy Anatolian-carpeted apartment in Istanbul when my dad woke me up at 8 am and, in the early light of a warm summer morning, said, "It is time for you to start drinking Turkish coffee and to learn how to make it. You will now be getting up with me every morning to drink and make coffee for both of us." It is important for me, because every Turkish people say to kids, " If you drink coffee, you're going to be Arabic." (myths and joke) So at the ripe old age of 12, I began this delicious love affair with Turkish coffee. And while I now drink all kinds of coffee, Turkish coffee, my first love, will always be the romantic lead in my story.
Turkish coffee was first introduced into Turkey around 1540 or so. History tells us that it was introduced by the Ottoman Empire of Yemen- Ozdemir Pasha. He discovered a new beverage in his region, you get three guesses for what it might have been (hint, it was coffee!). Wisely, he made sure to bring it to the attention of the Sultan, Suleiman Magnificent. It was immediately a big hit in the palace and actuallt became an integral part of Turkish history and culture.
It was soon being prepared by coffee professionals known as "Kahveci Usta". Perhaps a prelude to modern day baristas. There are even marriage traditions that have evolved with Turkish coffee. The bride will add salt to the normally sweet drink as a measure of how interested she is. If a man can pound down a whole cup of salty coffee, he proves his manliness and also is saying he is ready to marry her.
I hope you've enjoyed my little coffee story.
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