“And now I’ll show you where you can have the best Turkish coffee here,” my mother announced as we walked a little disoriented through the noisy and dusty streets of her hometown Sivas in Central Anatolia. A “turk kahvesi”, a Turkish coffee, is an integral part of the meal. Especially after a hearty meal. And we – a small part of the extended family – had just eaten a huge plate of “Iskender”. Doner kebab refined with tomato sauce, yoghurt and melted butter on flatbread strips. So a coffee was exactly what I needed.
I was last in Sivas as a child and had hardly any memories of the city. My parents, who were both born in Imranli near the big city, visit my grandparents in their summer house every year and had such a regular café that they liked to go out on a stroll through town to enjoy a Turkish mocha: That Café on the ““Cifte Minare”. The double minaret madrasa is a historical, religious school, which gets its characteristic appearance from its two towers at the entrance portal. According to a stone inscription, it was built by a vizier in 1271. Of the “medrese with double minaret” only the wall of the entrance portal still exists today. From there you get to a light-flooded inner courtyard, in the middle of which a huge fountain splashes. Cozy armchairs all around invite you to linger. I ordered my coffee Orta şekerli, so medium-sweet. After the first sip, the hustle and bustle of the big city was forgotten. I closed my eyes, continued sipping my mocha, that is how the ominous “deeply relaxed” had to feel. The sweet smell of hookahs hung in the air and oriental sounds came through the café’s loudspeakers. I felt like I was in a fairy tale from 1001 nights.
Incidentally, Turkish mocha is the oldest method of preparing hot drinks in the world. It dates from the Ottoman period. Since 2013, Turkish coffee culture and the associated preparation of mocha on a bed of sand has been an intangible UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Turkish coffee is also a good touch from the host. It is drunk comfortably after dinner or to chat with neighbors and friends.
But with foam, please!
But getting the perfect mocha is not that easy. A long-handled metal jug, the “Cezve”, is used for preparation. Classically, it is made of copper or brass. The coffee is finely ground. By pouring water on it, the coffee dissolves and is gently heated on a hot plate. In the traditional method, the coffee is prepared in a bed of sand on a fireplace. This is considered to be particularly gentle and flavor-enhancing. But also on a stove top you should ensure that it is boiled as slowly as possible so that the fine ground coffee can develop its full aroma. When the coffee starts to boil, the “Cezve” is removed from the stove to allow the residual heat to continue working. Then the coffee is brought to the boil once or twice. The challenge of this coffee preparation is to create the thickest possible layer of coffee foam. Turkish coffee is drunk hot and from special mocha cups, similar in size to Italian espresso cups. It is usually served with a glass of cold water to neutralize and refresh the palate before enjoying the coffee.
#coffee #life #mocha #years #memory