A Turkish Passion

Turkish Coffee is a passion. Not everyone is a fan of this coffee because it is completely different than any coffee you have ever tasted. It is very strong but delicious as well. The foam on the top is the one that makes the coffee delicious. However the foam is is not a milk foam or a cream; it is the coffee itself. 
When you order a Turkish coffee at a restaurant or somewhere in Turkey, they will ask you "How would you like to drink?". You have three options (sugar options): sweet, medium and no sugar at all. 





Anyways, when you finally gave your order, a couple of minutes later you will get a Turkish Coffee in a classic Turkish Coffee Cups; cute little mugs I like to call them (similar to espresso cups in size), a small glass of water and maybe even a lokum; which is also known as the Turkish Delight. There are various Turkish Coffee Cups, some are basic, some are a little more fancy;  with patterns or figures. When I was in Kadıköy yesterday, I saw these amazing coffee cups. They were really cool and beautiful with all of these vivid colored design on them. These cups are also called the demitasse cups by the way.

The coffee is traditionally prepared in small copper pots called "cezve" or "ibrik". The pot is very important for the making of the coffee because the pot gives the taste of the coffee. Cezve is a narrow small pot and that's why when you cook the coffee in it, it gets more foam on the top; which gives the taste of the coffee. 

When you are drinking the coffee be careful because there are some coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup and you don't want to drink that. You might but it is very bitter, that's why they serve the coffee with a glass of water. 

If you close the cup with the small plate at the bottom of the cup and if you turn it upside down and wait it to cool down; you will see some figures when you uncover the cup. With these figures, some Turkish people can tell some fortune tellings even if they don't know you; usually the Turkish woman. 

Anyway, the Turkish coffee is a passion but it is also very easy to cook if you have the correct ingridients and the materials. Here is the recipe for one cup of Turkish coffee (if you want more you can double it for 2 cups):

Ingredients: (for one cup of coffee)

1/2 table spoon of Turkish coffee

1/2 table spoon of granulated white sugar (no if you want your coffee to be non-sugared or 1 table spoon if you want it sweet)

1 Turkish coffee cup of room temperature water (the cup that you will pour your coffee to drink from)

Preparation:

1. Add the water into the "cezve" or "ibrik". Add the sugar and then add the coffee. 

2. Do not stir! If you do, then the coffee will lose the foam and it won't taste very well. 

3. Let it cool on the low heat. When it gets bubbly and you see some movement on the top remove it from the stove and take the foam using a small spoon and put it into the cup that you will drink from. 

4. Then put it back to the stove and continue cooking it on low heat. Give it a small stir now. When it gets bubbly again; starts to simmer, pour the coffee to the cup. 

5. Serve with a Turkish delight/ chocolate and a glass of water. 

This is not the best photo for a typical Turkish coffee because it doesn't have enough foam on top. That's because I spilled some when I was carrying. Sorry :(