Turkish Coffee in Greece

by ELIAS PETROPOULOS

Types of Coffee

Every kind of Turkish coffee has its own special name. The official
names (in the professional jargon) which are heard most often are:
with-a-little (three spoonfuls of coffee plus a half-spoonful of
sugarthis coffee is also called a yes-and-no);
strong-sweet (three spoonfuls of coffee plus four spoonfuls of

sugar);
many'-strong-sweet (four spoonfuls of coffee plus six spoonfuls

of sugar);

weak-sweet (a half-spoonful of coffee plus five spoonfuls of sugar);

Ottoman (three spoonfuls of coffee plus six spoonfuls of sugar

with a thick layer of foam on topit is boiled longer than a

sweet-boiled);
sweet-boiled (three spoonfuls of coffee plus six spoonfuls of sugar
the briki [Turkish coffeepot) is lifted to make the foam on

top);

medium (three spoonfuls of coffee plus two spoonfuls of sugar);

medium-strong (three spoonfuls of coffee plus three spoonfuls of

sugar) ;

medium-boiled (three spoonfuls of coffee plus three spoonfuls of

sugarthe briki is lifted to make the foam on topthis coffee
is also called a boiled-and-no);
strong-in-a-half (three spoonfuls of coffee plus six spoonfuls of

sugarin a half-cup of waterthis coffee is as thick as yogurt) ;

plain (three spoonfuls of coffee plus no sugar).

My reader will have understood by now that the official name of each
specific Turkish coffee is not only due to the resultant sum of spoonfuls
of coffee and sugar, but also to the time and type of cooking.
1As will be elucidated below, a solecism is employed in ordering certain
Turkish coffees: is used instead of the adverb icati (very) [Translator's
note].

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JOURNAL OF THE HELLENIC DIASPORA

I have listed below an obvious way of classifying Turkish coffees,

such as may be ordered in the great old coffeehouses of Athens:
plain-strong;
plain-boiled;
plain-weak;
plain-rather-weak;
plain-half-boiled;
plain-strong-half;
plain-weak-half;
plain-rather-weak-half;
with-a-little-strong;
with-a-little-boiled;
with-a-little-weak;
with-a-little-rather-weak;
with-a-little-half-boiled;
with-a-little-strong-half;
with-a-little-weak-half;
with-a-little-rather-weak-half;
medium-strong;
medium-boiled;
medium-weak;
medium-rather-weak;
medium-half-boiled;
medium-strong-half;
medium-weak-half;

medium-rather-weak-half;
not-many-sweet (that is, strong);
not-many-sweet-boiled;
not-many-sweet-weak;
not-many-sweet-half-boiled;
not-many-sweet-strong-half;
not-many-sweet-weak-half;
not-many-sweet-rather-weak-half;
not-many-sweet-rather-weak;
with-four-boiled;
with-four-strong;
with-four-weak;
with-four-rather-weak;
with-four-half-boiled;
with-four-strong-half;
with-four-weak-half;
with-four-rather-weak-half;
sweet-boiled;
sweet-boiled-half;
strong-sweet;
strong-sweet-half;
sweet-weak;
sweet-weak-half.

The professional names listed above are basically characterized by the

quantity of sugar. This may be confirmed if we take the time to examine
at least the variations after with-a-little and plain. The adverb no).)4
(instead of izoX5) should by no means make us shudder. It suffices to
recall Vizyinos's term 7coDaxxatlivo (very, very poor). Moreover, there
are several additional, parallel characterizations which can render the
exacting demands of the coffee-fiend even more exactly. The stuffy, old
partisans of katharevousa called Turkish coffee amiable. The connoisseur
orders his coffee creamy or with-a-thin-layer-of-cream (as the iridescent
"head" of foam on the coffee is called). The Greeks of Turkey sometimes
gave names of Turkish origin to their coffees; they said: orta (medium);
acem-kahve (Persian coffee); sekerli-kahve (coffee with sugar); biyik
(large) ; tatli (sweet); etc.
Weak coffee is called water-broth or water-gruel, whereas a flubbed
coffee is termed black-broth. 2 For the same disaster, the word burblingwater may be used. Burbling-water is also employed to characterize thin,
tasteless soups. When a Greek wants to say that his coffee is too bitter, he
zRespectively, vepoCo,3t , veponpot5Tot, I.Lccup4o6p.t. Burbling water= vspopcoup!groat.

Turkish Coffee in Greece 55

exclaims: Poison! On the other hand, when his coffee is too sweet, he will
express his disgust with a Hifi! Sherbet! In prison, plain coffee is called
rowdy-dowdy.' Some coffee-drinkers will insist that their coffees be settled
before they are served. With such eccentricities, we have already broached
the legendary folklore of the coffee-fiend's finicky whims.
The coffee-field usually drinks extremely strong coffee. The coffee-fiend
wants his coffee in a thick cup, which will keep it warm, yet at the same
time not burn his lips. Before drinking his coffee, the coffee-fiend will
drink down a glass of cold water in one gulp. This not only washes the
phlegm down his throat (common folks mistakingly call it the larynx),
but also rinses his stomach so that the coffee's flavor may be wholly
appreciated. The slang expression, five puffs and a long sucking sip!,
shows how underworld hoodlums used to dring their scalding hot coffees.
Another proverbial expression (sip an' let 'er come") states, on the other
hand, that a first sip of coffee is sometimes all that is needed to blow a
fart. It is to be noted, however, that, to fart in prison while someone is
drinking his Turkish coffee, is considered to be a deadly insult (with
unforeseeable consequences). The coffee-fiend usually sighs deeply (. . .
ahhh!) after his first sip, and then immediately lights up a cigarette.
All of this is performed in an entirely ritualistic manner, accompanied by
a series of appropriate expressions.
Some people drink their coffees in wine glasses. Others will ask for a
double shot of coffee in a thick water glass. Many sailors drink their
coffees out of a glass into which they have also poured a little cognac.
Smymeans put tahini in their coffees. The monastic tradition at Mt. Athos
has developed its own coffee: there, the monks will put two or three
drops of ouzo into their brikia. What Greek doesn't know that one? But
N. G. Pedzikis coolly mentioned it twice, as if he himself had first discovered it. Papadiamandis, in his story, 11 11STCOCSaliV1 (1909), writes:
large cups of coffee, monastic miracle. This monastic coffee (with the
aroma of ouzo) reminds me, in turn, of those delightful little Smyrnean
meatballs into whose dough a little raki is mixed, along with abundant
spices and aromatic herbs. Every coffee-fiend has his own personal way of
drinking his coffee. If the thick cup has a little crack in it, the coffee is
sent back. Some coffee-fiends insist that their coffees be brought to them
at once. If the waiter tarries, the coffee-fiend begins to grumble (What's
going on with that coffee? .. . What's the snag?). Other coffee-fiends
will wait awhile before ordering their coffees (but it is not known why).
Most coffee-fiends sip their coffees slowly, delicately, serenely, voluptuously,
soberly, or thoughtfullyto gladden their hearts. But there are also coffeefiends who gulp down their coffees hastily, to open their eyes and put their
gab in order. After a short while, such coffee-fiends will ask for a second
coffee. Some old-timers drank their coffees with a lot of milk stirred in
swarhatstog.
4Five puffs and a long sucking sip!=uivra Tim xaC put poiSpa! sip an' let 'er
come!=potkpa xe gpxrcac I

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(but here, dear reader, please do not think I am referring to the cafe-au(alt, which, incidentally, no longer goes by that name in France).'
As I have said, the coffee-fiend likes extremely strong, "thick" coffee.
This habit gave birth to the well-known joke that the coffee-maker spills
a little bird-shot into the cup to make the coffee "thicker." Strong, "thick"
coffee, when it settles, leaves thick dregs. This murky sediment tempts
the coffee-fiends as well, for, in fact, the majority of them will indeed eat
these dregs, either by licking down and around them with their tongues
or by poking their fingers down into the cup (such uncouth coffee-fiends
are by no means ashamed of themselves). Nevertheless, this custom is
slowly but surely disappearing. Finally, we should also recall two kinds of
coffee which are drunk unwillingly: first, the famous funeral coffee of
consolations; second, the equally cherished (by our villagers, that is)
coffee-sulphate. . . . 7
Preparation of Coffee

At the back of the old coffeehouses, there was, and still is, the barcounter, with its trays of sweets and bottles with special tops. On the other
side of the counter, against the wall, can be found the small fireplace.'
The coffee-maker' works there with his back turned to the room. The
coffee-maker's job actually used to begin at midnight. It was at that time
that the preparation of the fireplace for the next day began. In other
words, just before closing up the coffeehouse for the night, the coffee-maker
would sweep out the fireplace thoroughly, then fill it back up with charcoal which had been crushed with a brick and then moistened well; then
he would place several burning coals in the front part of the fireplace,
covering both these and the moistened coals with ashes; then he would
cover the sides of the heap with two sheets of aluminum foil, which
would keep the fire burning slowly throughout the night; finally, he would
block off the fireplace's opening with a small piece of sheet iron so that
the coffeehouse wouldn't catch on fire.
The coffee-maker used to arrive at work at around seven o'clock in the
morning. The coffeehouse owner would have already arrived at the coffeehouse a short while before. The coffeehouse owner used to open the
coffeehouse shortly before dawn. The coffeehouse owner's first chore was
to take the piece of sheet iron away from the opening of the fireplace
In Paris, at least, one asks for a cafe creme.
To go home immediately after a funeral is bad luck; consequently, a coffee
is drunk, namely, the xacpi;
notplyopcbtc.
'This is, peasants who fail to distinguish between sugar and copper-sulphate,
a white powder which is used as a fungicide. This coffee is called, in Greek,
xctcpdg W4 napcastov [Translator's note).
-

The 'Ca} o!ig is the person who prepares the coffee; the xacpetVic is the owner
of the coffeehouse.

Turkish Coffee in Greece 57

and see how the fire was going. If, by chance, an early bird arrived, the
coffeehouse owner would prepare and serve his customer a coffee. The
coffee-maker worked from seven until noon. At noon, he would be replaced
by the afternoon coffeemaker. But here, I am speaking about the old days.
Today, the coffeemaker works regular hours. As for the yedeki, it is now
heated by gas. The yedeki is, of course, only the water boiler which is
located directly above the fire. But the word yedeki has a second, forgotten
meaning. A yedeki was an auxiliary horse which was attached to the cart
but outside the "trace"whenever the load was too heavy for one horse to
draw. The Turkish word yedek has these two meanings, as well as many
others.
The coffee-maker's job isn't as complicated as it looks. As he was preparing his coffees, the coffee-maker used to keep his ears open and trained
on the room so that he would be able to hear the waiter's orders. But, in
today's large coffeehouses, the coffee-maker prepares several coffee-types
in advance; thus, when the waiter comes, all he has to do is to select
whichever of these typically-mixed coffees he needs. The coffee's preparation begins in front of the water boiler. The water in the boiler is very
hot, but never boiling. Boiling water curdles the coffee. The coffee is
prepared in the briki. The Turkish word ibrik means: the bowl that Turks
use in their purification rite before entering a mosque; the Turkish coffeepot; and a type of small caique (the vrikion of katharevousa-prone historians). Brikia come in various sizes: for one, two, three, four, or five
cups of coffee. Brikia are made of tin and have long wooden handles so
that the coffee-maker will not burn his hands over the fire. The coffee
box is to the right of the water boiler. The cups are found to the left of
the water boiler. Near the coffee box is a glass; the "swizzle stick'"
which is used to stir the coffee is placed there. Back in 1840, when
Andersen was in Greece, he saw a young boy stirring his coffee with one
such "swizzle stick." The coffee spoon is placed in the coffee box. This
small coffee spoon is indeed very small so as to permit the coffee-maker
to measure out the amount of coffee and sugar with great accuracy.
Now, here is how a Turkish coffee is prepared: the coffee-maker takes
the appropriate briki > turns to his right, and measures out the spoonfuls
of coffee and sugar > turns back to the water boiler, opens the little tap,
and lets the proportionate amount of water into the briki > stirs the
contents of the briki > sets the briki on the burning embers > awaits
the boiling of the coffee > as soon as the coffee boils (or swells), turns
to his left, and pours the coffee into the cup. If there is more than one
cup, the coffee-maker empties out the briki in two or three doses so that
all of the cups will receive a little foam. The briki naturally has a cleverlydesigned shape which, on the one hand, gets the coffee boiling rapidly
and, on the other hand, creates a lot of foam (or swelling). The height
from which the coffee-maker pours out his briki is also significant. As
1 have translated taapdxt. as "swizzle stick" because of the similarity in

10

shape.

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JOURNAL OF THE HELLENIC DIASPORA

soon as the coffee-maker has poured the coffee into the cup, he washes
out the briki thoroughly, and then he begins to prepare his next order.
If the briki is not washed meticulously, the taste of the next coffee will
be destroyed. But the coffee-maker will only wash the brikia. Cups and
water glasses are washed by the coffee-maker's assistant. The water glasses
are first rubbed with a cloth, then dipped in vinegar, and finally rinsed
off under the faucet. But in the old days, before running water came to
Greece, the water glasses were rinsed in a large pail stashed under the
counter (need I say anything else?). Whenever the sight and smell of the
water in the pail became too much to bear, the coffeehouse owner would
take the pail outside and empty it out on the street to settle the dust. But
none of this troubled the apathetic gazes of the coffeehouse customers.
The waiter returns to the counter whenever he takes the unwashed
water glasses and cups back; at the same time, he picks up the last orders.
The coffee-maker immediately tells him which coffee is which. The waiter
then arranges each coffee-type on a predetermined spot on his tray so as
not to mix up the orders. Whenever the coffeehouse is particularly busy,
the coffee-maker lets the coffees fly," dipping the "swizzle stick" (but
just a wee bit, at most) into a cup filled with baking soda and a little
water, and then stirring the coffees with it. The result: the coffee swells
immediately but at the same time loses its flavor. This trick does not get
by true coffee-fiends, of course.
There is one basic secret behind the making of a good Turkish coffee,
to wit: the slowness of the cooking. In other words, the good coffeemaker must necessarily be a patient coffee-maker. In order to make a connoisseur's coffee, it is necessary to heat it over a gentle fire for nearly
twenty minutes. At the same time, the coffee-maker must mix his coffee
ever so slowly; sometimes stirring with the "swizzle stick," sometimes
tapping it lightly on the bottom of the briki. Only in this manner will
the coffee take shape. For it must never be forgotten that making coffee
is as difficult as cooking saleps.
Reading Coffeedregs

Several superstitions are associated with coffee-drinking: when some

coffee is spilled in the saucer, we say, you'll make some money; when a
big blister is left in the bottom of the cup, some consider it to be distress,
others a sign that friends are coming; when a coffee cup breaks, it is a
very superstitious sign. Edmond About reports that, when the guillotine
was brought to Mesolongion in 1834, a coffeehouse owner smashed on
the ground the cup from which the executioner had drunk.
Such superstitions lead us directly into the art of reading coffeedregs,
where the coffeedreg-reader gloriously performs his tricks; that is, a few
uvi grneviEst xacpdbec.

Turkish Coffee in Greece

59

men are indeed able to read" the coffeedregs left in the cup. Coffeedregreaders must always be paid. Coffeedreg-reading which is not paid (at
least by an I.O.U.) will not take. The dregs are never read at night (they
won't take). Nor must the client of the coffeedreg-reader ever say thank
you, or the prediction will disintegrate and be lost. The Literary Soire of
Timos Moraitinis took place at Christine the Coffeedreg-Reader's. N.G.
Pedzikis, in his Practical Knowledge (1949), wrote this phrase: settled
in the coffeecupopen road, great gate, news of someone, two or three
periods," distress or money, connection, wreath, and all of this mysteriously
unveiled. The coffeedreg-reader naturally does not use commonly-understood words: he uses periods and connections. In 1915, the "Parrot Re-

view" played in Smyrna; the following little song was heard, apparently
sung by a coffeedreg-reader:
With coffee I can promise you
riches, even marriage;
an' my coffee's gonna be good
an' everything's gonna turn out fine.
Deep inside the coffee
whatever you want you'll find:
riches, youth, an' marriages,
an' all the love you can handle.
I've got a lotta clients
who pay me really well
an' all together shout like mad:
my darlin' coffeedreg-reader 1

The coffeedreg-reader reads the patterns left by the dregs. If a person

wants his coffeedregs read for him, he will turn the cup upside down
(after he has finished his coffee, of course), putting the rim of the cup
on the saucer's edge, and letting the dregs drain well. Then he will take
the cup over to the coffeedreg-reader. There are coffeedreg-readers so
renowned that some of their clients will come from the outskirts of Athens
to have recourse to their wisdom. Often, the client will have to wait
in line for a few hourssuch is the crowd that might gather in the little
room around a famous coffeedreg-reader.
The coffeedreg-reader picks up his client's cup and begins to speak
with great authority, using professional terminology and expressions of
symbolic import. These words predominate: Great Face I Great Gate I
Meeting / Open Road / Luck / Riches / Death I Sickness I Blond
"In Greek, Xko cdv xap&; but I am thinking of tealeaf-reading. Likewise,
mcpsimv.csia=coffeedreg-reading and xeccps *6=coffeedreg-reader.
"Something will happen in three periods, for example; but what length of
time does a period represent? One day, one week, one month, one year?...
,

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Woman / Words / Swordsman / Letter I News / Distress / Card

1 Hidden Enemy.
I have interpreted a few typical dreg-marks below in a small symboltable:

SYMBOL-TABLE
like a fork
like a 4
= MONEY
bubble at
the bottom
= GRAVE
like a star
or flower
= DEATH
a shape
with teeth
= FAMILY
lace all
around
= ILLNESS
an opening
= DISTRESS
IS LEAVING
= PACKAGE
AND A GOOD
CARD
tiny little
dots
= WORDS

resembles
a Greek
= LETTER
something
like a (10 or 11/
= DISTRESS
resembles
a crab
= DEATH
with wide
pantlegs
= WOMAN
like a
triangle
= FACE or
MAN
white line
= OPEN
ROAD
= ENEMY WHO
IS LURKING
TO KILL YOU
white figure
= BLOND
WOMAN

On August 31, 1969, I asked Convict Niko M. (a gypsy from Ayia/

Varvara/ AighaleoI shared a little cell with him in Salonica's New
Prison) to read my dregs for me. This was his prediction:
this week you have an affliction a distress which turns around
your mind in a Face rather Feminine you are thinking a lot about
making some sense out of it but however there is something that
restrains you something that dissolves about this question . .. a
Chance turns around you you will have favorable results very quickly but however a Feminine Face will be sending you definite Words

Turkish Coffee in Greece 61

in a sealed Letter and it will say the Words which concern you
you however will agree with much with three things only will you
not agree . . . a Distress you will experience within the week but
it will be transient . . . many times you will want to climb up on
a level quickly or slowly rather very quickly however it is cleared
u you will succeed . . . now ... Properties are Money are Something are what affects your own Man for some Money in arrears
that you will have in a week at the most your News and Fortune
are always with you End.

It happens that I, too, know how to read coffeedregs. This is not something to hide. In prison, I read coffeedregs on many occasions for aged
long-timers whom I had never met before and yet who came to see me
from distant wings of the prison. I received them with mixed feelings;
but, naturally, I performed my duties with the utmost seriousness. And,
in the end, I, by no means, refused to collect the (obligatory) fee. Only
in this way was I able to maintain my persuasiveness. My client's problem
was to know the future. As for me, I was fascinated by the supersition's
power and mystery. Try as I may, I will never understand the folk
psychology behind such superstitions. Let me conclude this passage by
pointing out one very sinister possibility: if they secretly dislike you, there
are certain very evil-hearted old women who will spit in the briki as they
are preparing your Turkish coffee.
translated from the Greek by John Taylor

This essay has been adapted from Turkish Coffee in Greece by special permission
of the author.