Coffee

Turkish coffee started its journey in Istanbul in 1555 when two Syrian traders brought coffee to the city. At the beginning it was known as the »milk of chess players and thinkers.” But soon in 17th century it became a part of ceremonies involving the Ottoman court where coffee makers with the help of assistants ceremoniously prepared and served coffee for the sultan.

In ancient times, women received intensive training in the harem on the proper technique of preparing this Turkish beverage. Perspective husbands would judge a woman’s merits based on the taste of her coffee.

From the days of Ottoman Empire throughout present, coffee has played an important role in Turkish life style and culture. Coffee houses have become social institutions where people could meet and talk. Even today the traditional coffee houses play an important role in Turkish culture as they serve as a meeting place for tourists and locals.

Today Turkish beverage is popular in the Middle East, North Africa, Caucasus, the Balkan, basically all over the world. It is derived from the Arabic beans and made in small pot called ibrik.

How to make Turkish coffee

Traditionally we boil water in a pot or ibrik and add some coffee when the water boils. The process of boiling water in a coffee pot involves repeatedly bringing the coffee in the ibrik just to a boil, and then removing it from the heat to let it cool.

The most important thing to know when brewing this beverage is the foam that appears when we bring it to boil. It has to boil just for few seconds. As the foam is the essence of Turkish coffee we have to make it enough so the coffee will have distinct flavor. But we need to avoid bitterness that can appear if we boil it to much.

Sometimes aromatic spice cardamom is added to the coffee while it is being ground. Traditional Turkish coffee has six levels of sweetness ranging from very sweet to black. After the coffee is brewed we distribute coffee foam evenly among coffee drinkers and pour out the remaining coffee. Before we serve coffee, we wait for a minute or two to let it cool down.

Easy to follow steps to great Turkish coffee
1. We boil cold water in an ibrik
2. Remove from heat and add finely ground coffee and sugar and put it back on heat
3. Repeatedly bringing the coffee in the ibrik just to a boil (twice or three times should do it)
4. Pour foam equally among all drinkers (you can use a spoon to do that)
5. Pour out the remaining coffee into coffee cups
6. Allow it to cool down and wait for the grounds to settle to the bottom of the cup

Ingredients for one cup

o 1 cup of cold water
o 1-2 tablespoons of ground Arabic coffee
o 1 spoon of sugar
o Aromatic spice cardamom

Congratulations! You now know how to make Turkish coffee. Just remember one more thing: do not stir coffee after pouring into cups as the foam will collapse.

And if you want to know more about How to make coffee please visit http://www.coffeeinspector.com where you will find all you need to know to brew a great cup of espresso, iced coffee and other coffee drinks.

Author: Roman Hafner
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The coffee plant originates from the highland forests of Ethiopia. It is believed that the first plants were found growing wild in the region of Kaffa, where coffee derives its name from. A popular legend tells of a goat herder named Kaldi. One day he noticed his goats behaving in a strange manner. They were full of energy, playfully chasing each other and bleating loudly. He noticed they were eating red berries from the bushes nearby. Feeling tired and slightly curious, Kaldi decided to try some of the berries. To his delight his fatigue quickly faded into a fresh burst of energy.

Kaldi was so impressed by the berries, that he filled his pockets with them and ran home to show his wife. “They are heaven-sent” she declared, “You must take them to the Monks in the monastery”. At the monastery, Kaldi told the Abbot how these berries had had a miraculous energising affect on himself and his goats. The Abbot clearly displeased, hurled the berries into the fire, proclaiming them as the “Devil’s work”.

Within minutes the berries started to smoke and the monastery was filled with the heavenly aroma of roasting beans. The other Monks quickly gathered to see what the commotion was. One Monk swiftly raked the beans from the fire and extinguished the embers by stamping on them. The rich smell of coffee obviously agreed with the Abbot’s nose as he ordered the Monk to place the now crushed beans into a jug and cover it with hot water to preserve their divine goodness. He then took a sip from the jug and sampled the rich and fragrant brew that is coffee. From that day on the Monks vowed to drink coffee daily to keep them awake during the long, nocturnal devotions.

No one is exactly sure when coffee was discovered. There is evidence to suggest that coffee beans were used to make a primitive ‘energy bar’ before they were actually brewed as a hot drink. Sometime between 575-850AD, a nomadic mountain tribe known as Galla, used to mix ground coffee with ghee. These bars were consumed by the tribe’s warriors to heighten aggression and increase their stamina during battle. To this day, these bars are still eaten in Kaffa and Sidamo (Ethiopia).

Some authorities claim that coffee originated from the Arabian Peninsula rather then Ethiopia, stating that coffee was cultivated in Yemen from around 575AD. An Islamic legend tells of how Sheikh Omar discovered coffee growing wild while living as a recluse near the port of Mocha (Yemen). He is said to have boiled some berries, and discovered the stimulating effect of the infusion, which he administered to the locals who were stricken with a mysterious illness and thus cured them. However it is more likely that coffee spread to Yemen through Sudanese slaves. These slaves are thought to have eaten coffee beans to help them stay alive as they rowed ships across the Red Sea between Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

Evidence suggests that coffee was probably not enjoyed as a beverage until around the 10th Century. It is at this time that the oldest known documents describing the beverage coffee were written. Two Arabian philosophers: Rhazes (850-922AD), and Avicenna of Bukham (980-1037AD); both refer to a drink called ‘bunchum’, which many believe is coffee.

As the Quran forbids Muslins from drinking alcohol, the soothing, cheering and stimulating effects of coffee made it a popular substitute in Islamic countries for wine. The first coffeehouses are said to have been established in Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Known as the Kaveh Kanes, they were public places where Muslims could socialise and discuss religious matters.

The relationship between Islam and coffee has not always run smoothly though. Some Muslims believed coffee was an intoxicant and therefore is banned by Islamic law. In 1511, the governor of Mecca, Khair Beg, saw some worshippers drinking coffee in a mosque as they prepared for a night-long prayer vigil. Angered, he drove them from the mosque and ordered all coffeehouses in Mecca to be closed. This incited the pro-coffee Muslims and a heated debate soon ensued. In this dispute, two unscrupulous Persian doctors, the Hakimani brothers, who were infamous for testifying on the side of the highest bidder, condemned coffee as an unhealthy brew. The doctors had good reason for wanted it banned, for it was popular cure among the depressed patients who would otherwise have paid the doctors to cure them. The matter was only resolved when the Sultan of Cairo, Khair Beg’s superior, intervened, demanding that a drink that was widely enjoyed in Cairo should not have been banned without his permission. Khair Beg soon paid for his insolence, as when in 1512 he was accused of embezzlement; the Sultan sentenced him to death.

By the late 16th Century, the use of coffee was widespread throughout the Arabia, North Africa and Turkey. The nutritional benefits of coffee were thought to be so great that coffee was considered as important as bread and water. So much so that a law was passed in Turkey making it grounds for divorce if a husband refused his wife coffee.

Wherever Islam went, coffee was sure to follow. With the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, coffee quickly spread to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, it is believed that no coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia until 17th Century, as coffee beans exported from the Arabian ports of Mocha and Jidda, were rendered infertile by parching or boiling. Legend has it that this changed when a pilgrim named Baba Budan, smuggled fertile coffee beans out of Mecca, strapped to his stomach. Returning to his native India he successfully cultivated the beans in Mysore.

James Grierson is the owner of Galla Coffee: http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk – Uk online retailer of designer coffee accessories. Through the Coffee Knowledge section of his website he aims to help people understand more about coffee and give them tips on how to make great tasting coffee in their home.

Check out http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk/acatalog/Coffee_Knowledge.html for more articles or if you have a question send it to: coffeeknowledge@gallacoffee.co.uk

Author: James Grierson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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