All about Turkish coffee and fortune telling
Turk kahvesi, Turkish coffee is a coffee making method used by Turks.There is a traditional way of making and offering of Turkish coffee. It is grinded as thin as flour, boiled with water and sugar (or without sugar) slowly in a copper cezve on a brasier and served in small cups. It is necessary to wait a little for the coffee ground to settle. Turkish coffee is served with water used to clean the mouth. Remember that Turkish coffee should be served köpüklü (foamy).
Coffee was first brought from Yemen to Istanbul by a coffee-lover Ozdemir Pasa during the reign of Sultan Süleyman I, Solomon the Magnificient. It soon became one of the tastes in the saray (palace), then in the konak (mansions) and in public. The first cafe or kahvehane opened in Tahtale in Eminonu today and soon spreaded all over the city. These cafes changed the social life and consequently people got together in the cafes, played chess, backgammon, read poetry and talked literature. Turkish coffee was taken to the rest of the world by the tradesmen and statesmen visiting Istanbul and it became a popular Turkish taste all over the world.
Kiraathane / kahvehane
They are cafés serving coffee, tea or soft drinks. Formerly cafés used to have a collection of newspapers magazines for its customers. They are also called kahvehane, kahve. The word is derived from an Arabic word kiraat (to read) and a Farsi word hane (house) meaning a shop where customers read, drink beverages and chat. Today, with the change of social and economical life, kiraathane, kahvehane or kahve has become places where unemployed or retired people go to spend time by drinking tea, playing card and board games. Mostly the customers are male but there are also female customers in kiraathane in the city center or around the universities where students spend time, play games or study.
Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi
Every city in Turkey has a famous coffee producer. Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi from Istanbul is the most famous brand of Turkish coffee.
Fal, Fortune Telling
We should also mention about fal, fortune telling from the coffee grounds. Fal is fortune telling by looking at the shapes formed by the grounds remaining in a coffee cup. Also falci is a fortune teller. Fal is mainly based on his / her intuitions as well as his style and skill of using the language. It is crucial to choose the right words and gestures to take the listeners’ attention. In addition to kahve falı (reading Turkish coffee) there are also other ways of fortunetelling such as papatya falı (daisy) el falı (palm) fasulye falı (beans) bakla falı (horsebean) çay falı (tea) kum falı (sand) etc.
There is a saying in Turkish “Fala inanma, falsız kalma.” meaning “Don’t be left without fal even if you don’t believe it.” Fal is usually a nice way of chatting and having a nice time, however, some people may be obsessed and deeply affected by what is told. Recently some cafes offer a fal service to İstanbullu, paid service or free of charge.
How to fortune tell
After having coffee, the person makes a wish and the coffee cup is turned upside down on the coffee plate. When the cup is cold enough, it is opened and fal begins: First thing is the colour of the grounds in the cup. If it is dark, it means your wish won’t come true, but it mostly depends on the shapes. After the ground is read, the remainings on the coffee plate is poured into the cup and the telve, grounds on the plate is read this time. This is done to give countenance to what is seen in the cup.
Meaning of the shapes in coffee ground
- Lines Short, horizontal lines mean that you will get goods.
- Triangle means that you will get a present or money.
- Circles show that your luck will turn. It also means that you will marry or your social status will get higher.
- Two wavy lines show that you are going on a sea journey.
- Dots mean money. You will receive money these days.
- Square shows the beginning of a happy marriage or happiness in family.
- Vertical short line means that you are going on a trip and you will return with luck.
- Bow tie means that there is something happy soon.
- Garland means success. You will work very hard and achieve success soon.
- Star means that you are going on a journey. It also means investment.
- Three dots mean that you will make new friends or start an adventure. If the dots are very close it means patience.
- Rising sun shows that your great expectations will happen unexpectedly.
- Capital Y shows that you will meet an old friend and he will do you a favour.
- Shape of a key means you will move. Also it means you might win somebody’s heart. If there is a leaf beside it, it means you should keep quiet.
- A leaf means that you will hear from an old friend or you will make a new friend.
- An eye means that somebody is jealous of you. It also means someone is watching you with interest.
- A butterfly means an indecisive friendship. It shows that you have to act determined.
- A reverse triangle made from dots shows that a friend will ask help from you. You should take this into account and help him/her.
- An ear means that you believe what you are told.
- A pile of dot means that you will spend a lot of money.
- A sheep refers to purity and cleanness.
- A shark means that you will hear unnecessary news.
- A lighter means that you must stay away danger. If it is not burning, it means something might happen any time.
- A coffin may sound bad news, like death. However, it means that you will hear good news if there is someone in it.
- The sun means brightness and very good news. And also relaxation both physically and mentally.
- A chest means that you will receive money if it is seen in the house. If it is seen outside of the house, it means that you always except to receive money.
- A cat means that you will meet a wise person.
- A violin refers to dignity and seriousness and the comment depends on the person.
- An umbrella means that you will be protected from the evil if it is an open umbrella.
- A pack of cards means that you will be lucky with lottery, gamble etc.
- An eagle means that you will hear very good news, both for you and friends and family.
- A railway means that you will set out a long journey.
- A tree means that you should take care of your outfit.
- A gun means that you might have an argument or fight.
- A bottle means that you don’t know what to do, if it is empty. If it is full, you will get rid of your problems.
- A spider means that you will be trapped.
- A child means that you will hear good news in a short time, especially if the child is running.
- Deer means you will have sad news.
- Lion symbolizes power, generosity and hunting. It means nice things will happen.
- Pidgeon means good news and people who are crossed with each other will kiss and make up.
- Soldier means you will struggle.
- Mouse means silence and peace.
- Fruit means a healthy life from now on.
- Window means health in home.
- Eye means evil eye and the person might have trouble.
- Rabbit means you will have very good news from a very close friend.
- Tooth means pain and you will have physical pain.
- Insect means problems. It could be a big or small problem depending on the size of the insect.
- Bat means fear and panic.
- Single sock means that you have problems approaching, therefore you feel stressed.
- Ring symbolizes marriage. If the person is married then it means a new love.
- Clock means that there is a little time left. Next image after clock is important because it could be negative or positive.
Did you know?
The origin of coffee is Kaffa in Ethiopia. Turkish coffee is the oldest coffee-making method. Turkish coffee is the only type of coffee that is served with the coffee ground. Coffee was brought to Turkey in the middle of 16th century and the first coffee shops opened in Tahtakale by Halepli Hakem in 1552 and Suriyeli (Syrian) Şemsi in 1554. The coffeshops then were cultural centers where polite and intellectual people attented.
Turkish
Az şekerli (kahve) coffee with little sugar
Cezve small copper pot for making Turkish coffee
Dibek large stone or wooden mortar used to make Turkish coffee e.g. dibek kahvesi
Fal, kahve fali fortune telling
Falci fortune teller
Gönül ne kahve ister ne kahvehane, gönül muhabbet ister kahve bahane. (Literally) Heart wants neither coffee nor coffee shop, heart wants just a friendly chat, coffee is just an excuse.
Kahverengi brown, coffee color
Kuru kahve freshly roasted and ground coffee before brewing, Turkish coffee
Orta (kahve) medium coffee
Sekerli (kahve) coffee with sugar
Telve coffee ground
… kahve alabilir miyim? Can I have a Turkish coffee… ?
… kahve istiyorum. I would like a Turkish coffee…
About the Author
Ali Akpinar is a Turkish language tutor and author of Turkish language books living in Istanbul.
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