Have you ever tried Turkish coffee? Turkish coffee is a dark brown, thick and rich drink that originated from the Ottoman Empire.
It is prepared by brewing finely ground coffee beans with water or milk and leaving it unfiltered, this makes it highly caffeinated and stronger than many other types of coffee. It is famous for its strong taste and special methods of preparation.
This particular type of coffee is a part of a traditional custom for Turkish weddings whereby, during the meeting of both parties and their immediate families, the bride is asked to prepare and serve Turkish coffee to the guests.
She adds salt in place of sugar to the groom’s coffee in order to study his character. Obviously, that would taste horrible! But if the groom still retains a calm demeanor, it shows that he is a patient and good-tempered person.
Another fun fact about this coffee is that it can be used to tell fortunes. After drinking the coffee, the cup is turned over a flat plate or saucer to cool and the patterns of the coffee grounds are interpreted. How interesting!
Turkish coffee has a variety of names in different countries. In Armenian, it is called sev soorj or Haykakan soorj, tureck in Czech Republic and Slovakia, and in Bosnia it is called bosanska kahva.
Benefits of Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee has a number of benefits to our body, some of which are:
- It helps you to stay focused and enhances your mental alertness.
- It lowers the risk of death.
- It increases the levels of adrenaline and boosts physical performance.
- It helps to lose weight by aiding the body in regulating blood sugar levels and reducing cravings.
- Taking coffee before a workout boosts endurance and fat-burning metabolism.
- It helps to reduce the risk of cancer.
- It protects the body by aiding a lot of antioxidants.
- It reduces the risk of getting Parkinson’s disease.
- It decreases the risk of stroke.
- It may decrease the risk of Type II diabetes.
- It boosts the production of neuro-trasmitters like dopamine and serotonin and helps reduce depression.
Some Downsides of Turkish Coffee
Just like everything else, Turkish coffee also has its disadvantages.
They say too much of everything is bad, which is true in this case. Taking coffee at a normal and regulated amount of 3-4 cups per day is alright, but with Turkish coffee due, to its high amount of caffeine, it should be taken less. Too much coffee can become harmful and lethal to your body.
When we consume bad quality foods or products, it affects our health negatively. Same applies to bad quality coffee which can have a lot of impurities and make us sick. This can happen if your coffee has been made from beans that ruined or over ripped.
If you’re sensitive to caffeine, then this type of coffee is definitely not for you. When taken in excessive amount, it could cause severe insomnia and restlessness.
If you have high cholesterol, taking unfiltered coffee can boost your cholesterol levels even further. Coffee beans contain two compounds, cafestol and kahweol, which are seen to raise LDL cholesterol levels and filtering the coffee traps most of the LDL. So, if you have high cholesterol, it is advised to take filtered coffee instead.
An Easy Way to Make Turkish Coffee at Home
If you’re too lazy to go to a café to buy your coffee, you can easily make it at home. All you need are coffee beans, water, a manual grinder, some sugar and a small pot or a saucepan, whatever works.
First you grind the coffee beans – any coffee beans can be used- into fine powder using a manual grinder, then you bring to a boil a mixture of ground coffee, water and a desired amount of sugar. In Turkey, a small pot called cezve is used. Take the mixture off the heat as soon as it begins to froth, and just before it boils over. You can briefly reheat it twice to increase your desired froth. You can flavor it with cardamom if desired. Now your Turkish coffee is ready and can be taken with something sweet and small. Easy peasy.
In Conclusion
If you’re looking for a rich and highly caffeinated drink that can instantly raise your mood and boost your level of alertness, Turkish coffee is the one for you. It is an unfiltered, traditional drink that gives a homely feeling, and it has its specialized way of preparation which makes it very unique and can be prepared in the comfort of your home. It has so many benefits and advantages but there are also some downsides to its consumption, it cannot be taken by people with high sensitivity to caffeine.
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