Turkish coffee makes a great after dinner drink or daytime pick-me-up. It's quick to cook up and makes a great alternative to an espresso. Turkish coffee is drunk throughout south-eastern Europe, a legacy of the Turkish conquest.
Preparing Turkish Coffee
You can buy Turkish coffee powder from Turkish or Greek delicatessens (although be aware that Greeks call it kafe hellenika - "Greek coffee" - and the flavour is slightly different). Ideally you should use a small coffee pan (see picture), but if you don't have one just use a milk pan or something similar. It's best to cook over gas, but you can also use an electric hob.
First look out the cups you intend to serve it in (see next section "Serving Turkish Coffee"), then use one of the cups to measure out the correct amount of water, one cupful for each person to be served, and pour it into the pan. Next, add the coffee powder. One generous teaspoonful, or two coffee spoonfuls, are about right per cup of Turkish coffee. You can adjust the amount to suit your taste once you know what you like. Now add the sugar. Turkish coffee is too bitter to drink unsweetened, so even if you would normally drink your coffee unsweetened, you should add a little bit. If you normally take sugar in your coffee, you may want to add more than usual. For ‘medium’ sweetness use the same amount of sugar as coffee, but be aware that ‘medium’ sweet can seem very sweet to Western taste buds.
Heat the pan over an electric or (preferably) gas hob. Cooking it slowly releases more flavour but you can turn the heat up higher if you’re in a hurry. Don’t stir too much as it’s cooking – just enough to mix the coffee and sugar into the water, and then leave it alone. The coffee is ready when it nearly boils over, so you have to keep a careful eye on it. With practice you will learn to read the signs that it’s about to boil, but at first you’ll just have to watch for the foam climbing up the pan. When the foam quickly bubbles up, whip the pan off the heat and serve immediately.
Serving Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee is served in miniature teacups the size of espresso cups. You can use espresso cups if you don't have any Turkish coffee cups, or just half-fill an ordinary teacup. Because it is so bitter, it's best to serve it with some kind of sweet. Chocolate mints are a good choice as they complement the flavour. If you'd like to be more traditional, try serving it with a piece of Turkish delight, or with candied orange peel.
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