Coffee conversation

Coffee is a way of communication. It stimulates conversation, no doubt about it. It also makes you think faster, evokes ideas and prompts new prospects. Sometimes, even a sip of coffee brings forth an instant project, sometimes unexpectedly. This is what exactly happened a few weeks back in Barcelona when talking with a food researcher colleague, Sırma Güven. I was there for the SCWC, Science & Cooking World Congress, and we exchanged ideas over a cup of coffee. It was not Turkish coffee definitely but rather a quick espresso in a paper cup in the aula of Barcelona University, and its effects were instant. She asked me if I had done any studies on the history of Turkish coffee, to which I nodded positively in reply, and she was already drafting a plan. Her caffein-infused idea was to have me back in Barcelona to give a talk for the occasion of the International Turkish Coffee Day to be celebrated on Dec. 5. It was quick! Now, only 20 days later, my luggage is almost overweight, full of "cezve" Turkish coffee pots, various coffee samples, and all the Turkish delight morsels to go along with coffee, to present and taste at the cultural center Ateneu Barselonès.

As I pointed out, our decision was made swiftly over a quick sip, but with Turkish coffee, one must set aside time — not only to prepare and savor it but also to explain what Turkish coffee truly is. First of all, the coffee we tag with a nationality was once plainly called coffee, without any national connotation. This is simply because it was the only type of coffee we knew, and we did not need to differentiate it. It was only after other types of coffee were introduced in Türkiye, starting with instant coffee and followed by everything from espresso to Americano, that we began to label our...