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| Greek Coffee (Turkish Coffee) |
Kitchen Helpers
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| A strong flavoured coffee with a thick, luscious foam. For one serving. |
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Fortune telling anyone? | |||||||||||
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Notes: "Greek" coffee is really Turkish coffee. It's usually made from Brazilian coffee beans, which are ground into a fine powder. Greek coffee powder, as with all types of coffee grinds, does not dissolve in water. The grinds release their flavour and colour in water when made properly and the grinds (powder) remain behind in the cup. Greek coffee is made in a "Briki". It's a small narrow pot that holds about 6 - 10 ounces of coffee. Larger brikis can be used to serve four; however, it's hard to distribute the foam equally among the cups. If you don't have a briki, you can use a small pot; though, most pots don't have a spout and pouring becomes difficult and messy. The foam is the most desired part of this type of coffee. Greek coffee is served in a "demi-tasse": demi=half, tasse=cup. It's similar to a cappuccino cup and has the capacity of 3 - 5 ounces of coffee. A typical coffee cup or mug, which holds 6 - 8 ounces, can also be used; two small servings make up one large serving. Measure the water needed by filling the demi-tasse to the rim with cold water, adding about an extra tablespoon more. It's best to make more coffee than you need, this way you have a thick amount of foam. Use cold water, not boiling, because the powdered coffee needs to soak and hydrate in the water to release its flavour and colour. The longer it soaks, then the more flavourful and intense the coffee will be. Don't allow the coffee to come to a full rolling boil, since the foam will mix back into the water, thin out and spill over, making a mess. If, on the other hand, the coffee is added into boiling water, then the coffee will boil in a couple of seconds and won't develop a rich foam and taste as good. The amount of coffee powder used per serving can vary. Some folks prefer a weak flavoured coffee made with 1/2 rounded teaspoon of coffee, whereas, others like a stronger one made with 1 well rounded or heaping teaspoon. One asks their guest(s) how much sugar they would like in their coffee. It's easier to mix the sugar into the coffee while making it, rather than having your guest(s) add it later on in their coffee; sometimes the sugar doesn't dissolve well. It usually takes about 3 - 6 minutes to make one or two servings. This also depends on the material of the briki. Some made with thin metal and coated with enamel usually take longer than those made of a slightly thicker stainless steel. Making Greek coffee, above all, needs your patience and constant attention, especially during the last few moments when the coffee is almost at a boil and the foam is about to turn over. That's the time we usually get distracted and the coffee boils over, making a mess of things. Serving and Presenting the Coffee: For a single serving: slowly pour the coffee into the cup to avoid disturbing/deflating the foam. For two servings: slowly pour about a tablespoon of the foam into each cup, measuring by "eye", not with a tablespoon. Then slowly fill the cups, in order, with the rest of the coffee, avoiding deflating the foam. Both cups should have equal amounts of foam and coffee. The foam should completely cover the surface of the coffee. It's best to allow the cup of coffee to rest for a couple of minutes before drinking it. This way the coffee not only cools down a bit, but it also allows the floating coffee powder (grinds) to separate and settle to the bottom of the cup, leaving the drinkable liquid. When finished, the powder will accumulate into a thick, brown, muddy mixture at the bottom of the cup; you don't consume that mixture (picture 1). How: Measure and place the cold water into the briki. Add in the coffee and optional sugar. Set the briki over high heat and then stir for 15 - 30 seconds, or until well mixed. Allow it to heat up, without stirring the coffee, and then patiently wait until a rich foam develops on the surface of the water. When the foam around the edges of the briki begins to rise, immediately pour the coffee into the cup(s) (picture 2). Don't stir the coffee as it's being heated and don't allow the foam to boil; otherwise, you'll lose the foam. Enjoy. "Fortune Telling" - For the fun of it: Some folks like to read their future, or fortune, with the accumulated coffee grinds. It's best to use a light coloured coffee cup. Leave about 1 - 2 teaspoons of the coffee liquid and the muddy coffee grinds in the cup. Shake the cup around to swish around the mud. Turn the cup around to coat the inside with the runny mud and then invert and hold the cup over the saucer to catch the excess dripping mud. Then place the inverted cup over a couple of folded paper napkins and allow to dry for 10 minutes or so; the powder will adhere and dry inside the cup (picture 3). Turn the cup over and read the inside. Most readings, for example, include the typical: "I see ... |
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| 1. The "mud" in the bottom of the cup. |
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| 2. Remove briki from heat when foam around edges begin to rise. |
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| 3. What do you read in this cup? |
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| For more fun, why not see how long it takes until you get married. After reading your cup, add a bit of water to the dry coffee grinds in the saucer; or, reconstitute those in the cup and pour into the saucer. Balance a teaspoon over the rim of the cup with the spoon part over the inside of the cup. Take another teaspoon and pick up a bit of the runny coffee grinds from the saucer. Then drip one drop at a time, into the spoon and count the number of drops it takes to make the spoon fall into the cup. The number usually indicates how many weeks, months or years, until you get married. All of "this" is for amusement purposes only. It's not for real and means absolutely nothing. However, there are a few "readers" who are really good and very accurate with their readings. |
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| Looking Back at Everything You've Made! Keep an eye on the coffee while making it. |
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