Turkish Coffee
Turks were first introduced to coffee over 450 years ago. A while after an Ottoman governor to Yemen brought coffee to Istanbul and introduced the beans of coffee to the Ottoman Capital. Within a century, first Venice, than Paris and London were introduced to coffee by the Ottomans, which naturally acquired its name “Turkish” to become “Turkish coffee”. In some Western countries Turkish coffee is also known as Greek coffee as they were introduced to this type of coffee and coffee-making by the Greeks.
Shortly after coffee was introduced to the Ottomans in 1543, it became so popular that many coffeehouses and small shops were opened specializing in roasting coffee. Coffee roasting is called “tahmis” in Turkish and to this day there is a street called Tahmis in the Eminonu (Golden Horn) neighborhood in Istanbul where the so-called Egyptian spice bazaar is located. Its name derived from the coffee shops located on this street 450 years ago.
Turkish coffee or Türk kahvesi (in Turkish) is the perfect way to finish off a good meal in Turkey. When ordering you specify whether you want your Turkish coffee sade (plain), orta (little sugar) or sekerli (very sweet) and it is brewed with the specified amount of sugar mixed in with the coffee granules. Turkish Coffee is served in small cups. It is an absolute art to know when to stop drinking as one sip too many and you will end up with a mouthful of the sludgy residue which falls to the bottom of the cup. However this sludy residue has its uses; as you may find a local fortune teller to tell your fortune from the coffee cup. Just cover your cup with the saucer, wait until it becomes cold and you will be asked to turn it upside down, turn it around several times and then your destiny will be divined from the shapes which are formed.