I’m not going to get into any political debates over this one. My point here is that you will hear both terms being used and you can choose to call this coffee whatever you like, it’s the same thing! In Greek language you have:
‘Sketo’ - no sugar
‘Metrio’- one sugar
‘Gliko’ - two sugars
The Greeks are massive coffee lovers! Not only is coffee used as an excuse to get together and talk about annoying partners, cry over failed relationships, laugh or cry about life ....it’s a great way to watch the world and people go by.
A long time ago, a great pass time for the locals was to read the fortune within the coffee cup. You would drink your coffee and once done, turn the cup upside down in its saucer and wait for the cup to dry out. Then an old frail lady, dressed usually in black (mourning), would read your fortune. I drank this coffee to hear of my romantic and adventurous fortune ....it made a fun story and was exciting to hear. It’s an old pass time which over time will eventually disappear.
This coffee was taught to me by my dada (godfather) Johnny. I was probably around 20yrs old when once a week, on his way home from work, he would stop at the house and catch up with us. This was a life long ritual.
He taught me how to make this coffee because he enjoyed it and was the only person I knew who drank it so often. I once made his coffee and as I poured it into his cup, the coffee had a big air bubble on top.
I placed the coffee in front of him, he took one look at it and said
‘A bubble! Yians, this means you love me a lot!’
The coffee was right, I have no one to make this coffee for anymore.
Dada sadly passed away in April 2020 from coronavirus, this post is in loving memory of Dada aka Fest.
Ingredients
Per one serving
2 Heaped Tsp Greek/Turkish Coffee
1 or 2 Tsp Sugar (optional)
Method
Take your cup, measure 1 cup full of cold water and place into the ‘briki’.
Keep your heat on medium/low adding coffee and sugar if you choose to, stirring this immediately.
Keep an eye on the coffee as this will begin to heat and bubble reasonably quickly. Once you see the coffee begin to cave in on itself, just before it meets in the middle, give it a good stir.
Do not touch it again but keep a close eye on it, this bit happens quickly! The coffee will begin to bubble and as it rises to the top, remove from the stove immediately.
Gently pour the coffee into a cup and serve alongside a glass of cold water.
Tips
Ideally you will need a ‘briki’ to make the coffee in and a small espresso cup or a cup size similar to be served.
If you’re a serious strong coffee lover, I would suggest that you give this a try. It will kick start your day to the fullest!
It will take a couple of goes to this this right. Under cook the coffee and you’ll be sipping on a cup of sand. Over cook the coffee, it will burn and you will not have enough ‘kaiimaki’ (foam) on top.
It’s the kaiimaki (foam) that makes this coffee, a good coffee is measured on the kaiimaki.
As you come to the end of the coffee, there will be a thick, sand like residue within the base, do not drink this! This is for your fortune, if you’re lucky enough to have someone to read it, apart from that its undrinkable.
Serve this alongside a cold glass of water and a dry seeded biscuit.
Cost
Cost under £4.