Coffee the World Over

As with teas, we find coffee making differing greatly the world over. Herewith an introduction to some of the different ways in which coffee can be made, from the Greek and/or Turkish manner, to the Yemeni green coffee with roasted cardamoms, and so on.

With all coffee, however, as any barista will tell you, the perfect proportion is:

7 grams (1 Tablespoon) coffee per

120 ml (4 0z) water

Yemeni Coffee

Coffee originates from Yemen. However, what I found most interesting was the extent to which original “Arabic” coffee is very very lightly roasted, and a lot of cardamom is added to it as flavourant. The final result is greenish-brown, and for those of us not used to it, somehow reminds you of a visit to the dentist.

We were once fortunate enough to be invited inside a traditional Bedouin tent, a permanent outside fixture to a mansion, and this allowed insight to be gained as to why their coffee is prepared just that way and no other.

We were presented with a small open fire, and the coffee beans are roasted in a special container on this, and it can, obviously, therefore only be very lightly roasted. So the traditional “Arabic” coffee is a wheat colour, with so much cardamom for taste, it’s almost green. Certainly worth trying, at least once - after the flavour expectation shock, many I know came to really enjoy it at the end of an Arabic meal.

“Turkish” coffee (Syrian style).

This is dark roasted, and very finely ground. Add a heaped tablespoon of coffee per person into coffee pot, with sugar to taste. Bring to boil. As the water begins to boil, dip long-handled teaspoon in mixture, and keep pulling it up. Let the mixture be simmering all the time. When the foam on the top has entirely dissipated, the coffee is ready to serve. The most important thing to do is to ensure the coffee doesn’t boil over in the beginning particularly. Taking it off the stove top is advocated as it begins to boil. They serve it without any foam.

“Greek” coffee 

An erstwhile boyfriend of mine was of Cypriot Greek extraction, so I was taught how to make Greek coffee by his mother, who had fled Cyprus many years previously.

All the ingredients are the same as that for Syrian 'Turkish' coffee, however, you first bring the water to boil and then you add the coffee and sugar. And then you let it simmer, spoon the coffee up, etc. However, you never eradicate the foam entirely from the top.

Further, it is very important - particularly to the patriarchs of the family - that they receive some foam on the top of their coffee and this would be specifically requested, as in: “Medium sugar - with foam”. (I am pleased to report that the women usually cheated and would spoon a little bit of foam from this pot and that, from this cup to another, to ensure a) that all the patriarchs received some and b) the shares were equal. From which I could but surmise that there is only so much per pot, so there is probably this whole theory that the one who gets the foam is the most favoured. But behind the scenes, in the kitchen, there’d be about 4 pots going (for no sugar, little sugar, medium and sweet) and the women were happily conspiring away by spooning bits of foam into the male’s cups and leaving theirs devoid of any). How much of the world’s going around depends on little touches like this!

Arabic coffee (Turkish style)

Make as per “Turkish” coffee. However, primary ingredient is dark roasted, finely ground coffee - with a good handful of ground cardamom added to the mixture. Once again, place a heaped teaspoon per person. Add sugar to taste (light, medium, sweet). As to why the cardamom with the coffee? I don’t know - it’s the Arabic way!

Funny variations between countries

In the Middle East, instant coffee is called: "NesCoffee" or sometimes "Nescafe". Sometimes they call it "American coffee". However, in hotels, "American" coffee usually referred to what we call filter coffee, and they would charge you the same price for a teeny packet of Nescafe and some hot water.