Coffee was not originally consumed in the roasted bean, boiled water method that we are accustomed to today. The Oromo people of Ethiopia would take fresh coffee beans and mash them into a paste, mixing the paste with butter or animal fat and various herbs. This paste was then rolled into balls about the size of a billiard. There are tales that these would be tied in a leather pouch on the belts of warriors, sustaining them as they went into battle.
The original beverage consumed from the plant was a tea that is still enjoyed in parts of the world called Abyssinian Tea. The leaves of the coffee plant are dried and boiled in the same method as tea is. Whole coffee beans and a variety of spices would be added to the tea as it made. The roasting, grinding and preparation of coffee that we have come to expect in the middle ages occurred much later, as coffee’s influence and culture grew over the centuries, the methods in which it was consumed changed.
Turkish coffee, as was made popular when the prohibition of coffee was lifted, began its own rise in culture and influence as the coffee houses were established and began to thrive within society.
The following is my recipe for Turkish Coffee that I love to serve people at events. There is no filter, you can eat the grounds in the bottom of your cup if you so choose. More coffee is acceptable and encouraged.
Ingredients and Equipment
- Turkish ground coffee
- Desired spices, to taste. I use ground cardamom, but you may use ginger or saffron.
- Organic natural cane sugar. If all you have is refined white sugar, I recommend drink
- Ibrik, a small saucepan is too big, an ibrik is essential for this.
- Cold water
- Teaspoon
I follow a 1:2:3 ratio, one cup of water, two heaping teaspoons of sugar, three heaping teaspoons of coffee.
Begin heating the water, adding the sugar as the water warms.
Add enough coffee to get the mixture to foam, not boil. For this, you want more coffee, not less, if you are uncertain, add an extra spoon of coffee. Three heaping teaspoons is usually enough for one cup of water.
Stir the coffee in, keeping your spoon in the top two thirds of the ibrik. Only stir the top two thirds of pot, you do not want the spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. Some of the coffee will settle at the bottom and you want to encourage this.
If you keep your hand on the handle, you can feel what the water is doing, where it is in the boiling stage. This can be hard to do if you are making it directly in the fire, so an oven mitt is encouraged.
A foam will begin to form at the top of the coffee, this is your crema. You do not want to break this foam or let it boil over. Once the foam begins to form and rise, remove the coffee from the heat for a minute. Repeat this process three times. Once the foam forms, you want to stop stirring the coffee.
Scrape some of the crema off the top into each cup. Pour equal amounts of coffee into each up and serve. Some coffee and grounds will be left at the bottom of the ibrik.