Turkish coffee

Turkish coffee is probably the original way of making coffee. It is a way of making coffee using ground coffee beans without filtering it.^[1][2] The way to make Turkish coffee is by pouring hot water into a pot containing ground coffee beans or coffee powder. Turkish coffee was popularized during the Ottoman Empire. Mocha, Yemen is a city that was used to ship most of the coffee beans, which originally came from Ethiopia. For this reason, Turkish coffee is sometimes called Mocca.

Turkish coffee in traditional cups and kettle.

Similar versions are also made in Czechia,^[3] Slovakia, Poland,^[4] Lithuania,^[5] Greece,^[6][7] Armenia^[8] and the Balkans.^[9][10][11]

History

Turkish coffee first appeared in the Ottoman Empire. The coffee was considered a drug and it was forbidden to drink it. But, because it was very popular the sultan eventually lifted this prohibition.^[12]

Turkish coffee had reached Britain and France by the 17th century. The first coffee house in Britain was opened by an Ottoman Jew in the mid 17th century.^[13]

How to make Turkish coffee

To make Turkish coffee, ground coffee beans are used. The ground coffee beans is mixed with water and boiled. It is boiled in a special pot called cezve in Turkey. After it boils it is taken off the heat and served. The coffee is traditionally served in a small porcelain cup called a kahve fincanı 'coffee cup'. Sometimes sugar is added to the coffee to make it taste sweet.^[13][14]