Walking the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, today, in addition to the mosques with no end in sight, you can also find a good taste hidden in the brilliant mosaic lights, which has been going on for more than 5 centuries:
Kiva Han, started in 1553, was the first café in Constantinople.
The cafes that appear on the streets of Istanbul initially greet the poor in the city, and after a busy day, they gather in the cafes to order a pot of coffee, talk about damn work, greedy businessmen, beautiful maiden like pomegranate flowers at the head of the village, and, of course, occasionally talk about politics. Gradually, such customs spread as quickly as the aroma of coffee. Coffee has become an important part of Turkey's social culture.
In 2013, UNESCO has selected Turkish coffee as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations and is known as the ancestor of European coffee.
But how does Turkish coffee taste?
|| How to drink coffee in Turkey
Turkish coffee is different and is one of the coffees in the world that are still brewed using an open flame. According to the following tips, it is not difficult to make a cup of Turkish-style coffee at home:
In the first step, grind 30g of Arabica beans into a very fine powder, and add 1~2g of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and other spices to the coffee powder;
The second step is to simmer the coffee powder in cold water. At this time, do not be lazy to use warm or hot water to boil, although it can save time but it is not easy to boil fine foam, and the fine and dense foam is the key to measuring the quality of Turkish coffee:
The third step is also the key to the success of Turkish coffee: remember to boil three times, temporarily remove the pot with each boil, scrape the fine foam of the coffee with a spoon, distribute it evenly into each cup, about 1/3 each time, and then continue to boil. Repeat the above action three times to complete the ancient Turkish coffee. Finally, the coffee powder is not filtered out, just settles at the bottom of the cup.
A successful cup of Turkish coffee usually exhibits six levels of flavor, ranging from strong bitterness to very mild sweetness.
The Turks invented a method that preserves the most original taste and aroma of coffee. And this method was introduced to Europe and became the mainstream coffee method in Europe for centuries.
|| Coffee and the event of a lifetime
Not only does coffee play a huge role in social life in Turkey, it is also crucial in weddings.
In Turkey, men dress up to pick up kisses, and women usually make coffee to receive them. But the treatment in between them can be described as very different. Because the girl can skillfully exercise the right to decide through the taste of coffee.
If the woman likes the man very much, she will add sugar to the coffee, and the sweeter it is, the more satisfied she is with the young man; If the coffee is not sweetened, it means that the woman refuses; The worst thing is to bring out the salted coffee, bitter and salty, usually representing cruel refusal - "toad wants to eat swan meat", go away!
This is really a cup of fateful coffee. No wonder the 16th-century Arabic coffee historian Jagiri (1505~1569) said with emotion: "When coffee is in, the truth suddenly emerges." ”
I don't know what kind of truth the young men tasted when they drank that cup of coffee, but even if they passed this first hurdle, the test of coffee was indispensable in married life. It is said that the ancient Ottoman Empire stipulated that a wife could divorce if the husband could not afford to pay for the family's coffee.
|| Coffee and divination
Turkish coffee is also a good material for divination. After drinking the coffee, cover the mouth of the cup with a cup plate, turn the cup clockwise three times, then turn it upside down, and let it sit for a few more minutes, you can tell fortunes with the image presented by the residue:
If you see an angel pattern, it means good luck.
The ant motif indicates that the effort will eventually bear fruit.
A baby or crib pattern indicates that there will be minor troubles.
The bean pattern suggests that there is a financial trouble.
The bee diagram indicates that new friends will be made
......
There are countless passwords for coffee grounds, and the Turks have an attitude of preferring to trust it or not, and their attitude towards life is full of coffee wisdom: the essence is bitter, but if you add sugar to it, you can drink sweetness; Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, etc., and there is a fragrance. Life is also like this, what taste can be tasted in bitterness, it is all up to yourself.
Coffee, which stores Turkish memories of tradition, love and life. Turkey is the cultural birthplace of the Middle Eastern country, and their coffee culture is like this country, mixed with a strong sense of history and fantasy. If you have the chance, go to Turkey and drink a cup of traditionally brewed coffee!