I have only just recently (after years of trying) made a cup of Turkish coffee that my husband actually approves of. I know this because he even "lets" me make it for guests :)
Traditionally, a cezve is used. This is a small, usually copper, pot with a long handle that is used for making this espresso-like drink. Turkish coffee, as opposed to the "American" prototype, is served in a small cup, just like espresso, and has a sludge-like sediment that settles on the bottom of the cup. It is also made from a type of coffee that is specifically made for Turkish coffee (not your usual medium-ground coffee). If you don't have a cezve, you can use a small saucepan. If you do not have the small cups, you can use a regular cup and adjust the coffee/water/sugar ratio, or just leave space in your regular-sized cup.
The sugar can be adjusted to personal taste. Traditionally, there are 4 ways of drinking Turkish coffee:
Sade: "Plain"- no sugar
Az: "a little"- about 1/2 tsp
Orta: "medium"- about 1 tsp
Şekerli: "With sugar/sugary"- a well rounded tsp.
*The following recipe is for "orta", or medium-sugar Turkish Coffee. *
Makes 1 Turkish coffee-sized cup:
1 rounded tablespoon of (fine-ground) Turkish coffee
1 tsp. sugar
1 measured cup (the cup you plan to drink the coffee out of) of cold water
Combine all the ingredients in the cezve or saucepan.
Stir together, until well mixed. The coffee will not completely dissolve into the water, nor will the sugar.
Place over medium-high heat and bring ALMOST to a boil- there should be a light brown foam on the top. This will take a few minutes. Right before the mix bubbles, pour a small amount into your cup and return the pot back to the stove.
Again, bring until just boiling (if you do boil it, you will have "ruined" it, leaving it flat and foam-less. The taste will also suffer) and pour the remainder into the cup.
Serve with some water. You will want it to wash your mouth. Also, take care not to drink the "sludge." This is sometimes used to do a sort of fortune telling. If you are a skeptic, like myself, it may sound silly. I can attest that a recent experience with the reading of the grounds left me a bit more open-minded!
At a recent, family get-together with my husband's relatives, we were served Turkish coffee after a holiday breakfast. Aziz's relative, a certain Belgin Duyar, offered to read our fortunes, much to my non-believing amusement. She swiftly took my empty cup and flipped it upside-down on it's saucer and waited until the remaining liquid seeped out.
She removed the cup and peered into the trail-like images on the inner walls of the cup and began depicting what she "saw" in my future.
She told me that she saw a likeness of someone standing, which she interpreted as a sort of cocktail party. I, being a mother of two small boys with no regular babysitter, scoffed at this remark. When had I ever been to a cocktail party and when would I be able to go (if I were so invited)? Politely nodding in agreement, I stepped aside and let her muse into my husband's similarly empty cup. We returned home that afternoon and went on with our lives. That following week, we received news from a friend about his wedding which would be taking place on a New York harbor cruise, complete with a cocktail party.
It was enough to give me goosebumps! Coincidence, perhaps, but entertaining nonetheless.
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