Introduction to Turkish Coffee

Coffee has created its own “culture” in Turkey. A little bit more than a casual visit to Turkey would convince anyone that this is the case. Coffee for Turks is not simply a drink, but has its own history, its institutions (coffeehouses), its rituals, its own rules of when and how to drink it, and even a tradition of fortune-telling by reading the coffee grinds deposited at the bottom of a traditional Turkish coffee cup… Most Turks would find it superfluous to call it Turkish coffee: coffee is Turkish coffee.

What would a “culture” created by coffee mean.Is there such thing as “culture” when it comes to coffee? I cannot answer this question directly without going into the whole experience of coffee. I will therefore approach it from various angles. First its ritualistic element:

Why would coffee be associated with rituals or ceremonies? In its first aspect, this refers to the special way of making Turkish coffee. The etiquette that has developed around coffee-making, even though it has changed from former times, constitutes a set of rules coffee lovers still try to adhere.

A second aspect of the ritualistic element in Turkish coffee refers to certain traditional elements that have been woven into it. One strong tradition dictates the typical situation where the family of a young man visits the family of the bride-to-be to ask for their permission for their marriage. The girl whose hand is sought is supposed to bring coffee on a coffee tray, and traditionally this is the only time she has a say in the whole affair. The vote she casts is expressed in terms of how sweet the makes the coffee, ranging from extra sweet (a definite yes) to “no sugar” (a definite no). Also I am not sure if this is the true but i have heard from people around me and watched in the series that the girl intentionally makes coffee dark and strong without sugar to check if the young man says directly anything like " ohh thats strong" or something like that it means that the young man going to boss at home:)) which means he is not going to say yes to everyting what girl asks! well this is pretty much like a joke but people do it for fun too.