With its fantastic smell filling homes, offices, cafes and eventually streets, Turkish coffee is an essential part of Turkish traditions and one of the most outstanding and pleasant experiences you will have during your trip to Türkiye. In Türkiye, Turkish coffee is a social mediator that brings people together, helping them socialise. Coffee’s role in Türkiye is so high that essential meetings and after-meal conversations begin with the same question: “How would you like to have your coffee?”. This unique taste and traditional value resulted in Turkish coffee’s inclusion in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2013. Since then, December 5th, the date of Turkish Coffee’s registration on the UNESCO list, has been celebrated as ‘World Turkish Coffee Day’.
A Cultural Heritage Spanning Centuries
Turkish coffee has been at the heart of social life since it was first brewed in these lands in the 16th century. It has spread across the vast Ottoman geography and transcended borders with its rituals, traditions and role. It’s critical to Turkish culture, and the Turkish word for breakfast is «kahvaltı», and it literally translates as “before coffee». Whenever you visit friends or family in Türkiye, you will always be offered Turkish coffee as a welcome drink. It’s a critical part of wedding celebrations, engagements, births, and almost anything.
“How would you like to have your coffee?”
The method of brewing Turkish coffee has remained unchanged for centuries, and this is one of the reasons behind its uniqueness. Turkish coffee is prepared by brewing finely ground and powdered coffee beans in cold water in a unique pot called ‘Cevze’. After boiling until it froths, it is poured into coffee cups to form a velvety foam on top. Unlike other coffees, Turkish coffee is poured into the cup with its grounds and it is always served with a glass of water, Turkish delight, or other sweets.
Turkish coffee grinding and preparation methods may vary based on ingredients and habits within the country’s regions. Mastic trees, which can be found all over the Aegean region, bring with them the tradition of making Turkish coffee with mastic gum. Menengiç Coffee, prepared by drying the beans of a Pistacia terebinthus tree, is highly popular in Gaziantep, one of Türkiye’s cities in South Eastern Anatolia and the homeland of pistachios. Dibek Coffee, typically crushed in a stone mortar, has become popular as a unique Turkish coffee alternative due to its mild aroma and as a Turkish coffee that can be served with milk. Mırra Coffee, often known as a solid and bitter coffee, is commonly preferred in Türkiye’s southeast districts Şanlıurfa and Mardin.