Coffee Culture

Coffee is the name for the plant and the grains of this plant with 7 – 8 m, belonging to the rubiacceae family, whose Latin name is coffea arabica. Coffee had been consumed as a food in Abyssinia; it became widespread in Yemen at the beginning of the XV. century, and started to have been consumed as a beverage from the end of the century. Coffee was brought to Mecca and Cairo at the beginning of the XVI. century, and to Istanbul around the middle of the century. During the reign of Suleiman the Lawgiver (Magnificent), the establishment of the "Kahvecibaşılık" institution (Kahvecibaşı is the chief coffee maker for the Sultan) in the palace ensured the spread of a rich culture that would be consumed by large masses. Evliya Çelebi, who visited Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, mentions in his travel book that Bursa coffee houses were the places for wisdom.

Karagöz's experiences are reflected on the screen in the "Tahmis Play", one of the shadow plays of Karagöz, which is an important element of the Traditional Turkish Theatre. In the past, tahmis, where fresh coffee beans were sold by having ground after roasting, operates today under the name of "kahveciler". The coffee that is drunk at any time of the day takes names according to the time, place and community; It takes names such as morning coffee, evening coffee, good luck coffee, good business coffee, betrothal coffee. After drinking coffee, good wish phrases such as "May you have coffee for better days, May God grant you abundance" are said. Turkish delight is always served with the coffee, and chocolate or Turkish delight is sold as a "dessert" in coffee shops.