5/23/12

Turkish Coffee, Serbian Style

When I first arrived in Belgrade, I was dismayed to learn about my coffee options. While the watered-down filter coffee that is popular in America is hardly available anywhere in Europe, most places have a watered-down espresso that makes a decent comparison. Not Belgrade. There, you have two choices: Nescafe or Turkish Coffee.

Not being a huge fan of Nescafe except in desperate situations (let's not get into it) I asked the secretary at my office to teach me how to make the Turkish coffee Serbs are so fond of. Interestingly, everyone makes it a little differently. Some people put the sugar in after the coffee is made, some start with the coffee already in the water, and some people swear that the coffee needs to come to a boil 3 times to be correct.

Well, here's the way I learned to make it- naturally vegan, not too bitter, not too thick. Its a great alternative to your daily brew if you've become reliant on soy creamer and other embellishments. It's also great for traveling and camping- just invest in a camping coffee pot and you're ready to go.

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Turkish Coffee, Serbian Style


First, to ensure you don't make too much, pour cold water into your desired mug then transfer to your coffee pot. (If you have an electric water heater you could also heat the water first to speed things up.)


Self explanatory.


After water has reached a boil, take it off the heat for a sec and put in a spoonful or two of sugar and stir. Return to heat and bring back to a boil.


Now, how strong you like your coffee is a matter of taste, but when it comes to Turkish coffee it might be best to start out strong since the extra grounds gather at the bottom of the cup anyways. I usually do about 2-2.5 spoonfuls, and stir. Return to heat.
Bring the coffee to a boil, but be careful because it will froth up and boil over like a volcano! This happens approximately 1 out of 2 times.

So when it starts to boil up, remove it from the heat and let it calm down a second. Then you can return it to heat to let it boil over again another 2 times, for fun and good luck. (I can't tell a difference with the taste but people are very passionate about this step.)


Enjoy your strong coffee and good luck. :)

Song of the Day: Zemlja Gruva- Nisam Znala da Sam Ovo Htela


5 comments:

Mihl said...

You totally forgot that you can predict the future with Serbian Turkish coffee. At least my Serbian flatmates used to read their cups all the time.

Anonymous said...

mmmm coffee! i need a refill! thanks for sharing!

Bliss Doubt said...

I love Turkish coffee. The way you demonstrate making it is the way I was taught by a Turkish person years ago. Now I just make it in my French press. It still tastes strong to me (1 heaping tsp. coffee per cup of water), but less sludge ends up in my cup.

Vegan Miam said...

Nice to see some Serbian-Style Turkish Coffee, funny combination. Thanks for sharing!

Vegan Miam
www.veganmiam.com

globesquatter said...

Nice vibes - and thanks for the music!