History of Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee, made with fine coffee powder, is prepared in a narrow brass pot. You know your coffee is ready once it starts to bubble and it's about to overflow.  

However, is its origin truly from Turkey? According to historians, this method of coffee preparation was first introduced to an Ottoman governor stationed in Yemen during the 16th century.

The governor was so impressed by this magical, black drink that he brought the news back to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in Istanbul.

From there, this drink became widely prominent in Turkey and across the Ottoman empire which span across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. 

The art of making and selling strong coffee became popular very quickly. In fact, cafes became the primary areas to do business and discuss politics, something that alarmed Sultan Murad IV.

Historians believe he was afraid of these gatherings, because he feared they would cause uprisings against the government and the Ottoman empire. Because of that, he made coffee illegal in the 17th century! The Sultan executed anyone seen drinking coffee....how crazy is that? 

The Sultan eventually revoked this law, and placed a hefty tax on coffee merchants. How crazy is it that such a popular, harmless drink was once made illegal and the cause of some deaths?

Did you know that Turkish coffee had this interesting history?