Today, when brides, grooms, and their families meet to discuss marriage, women add five tablespoons of salt to the guests’ Turkish coffee. The groom drinks it and says it’s delicious, showing respect. Where does this tradition come from? In the past, brides and wives who couldn’t make good coffee were punished. On the other hand, women could divorce husbands who didn’t bring coffee home. What a coffee-based tale of happiness or sadness!
In 16th-century Ottoman society, a woman could divorce her husband if he didn’t provide enough coffee. The quality of the coffee showed his ability to care for his wife. This shows how closely coffee was tied to social status and household duties. A woman would also make coffee for a man to prove she’d be a good wife, making it a key part of the marriage process.
A husband’s failure to provide enough coffee was grounds for divorce. It was a sign of his ability to meet his wife’s needs. In courtship, a woman made coffee for a potential suitor, and the quality of her coffee affected his decision to marry her.
Turkish Coffee: A Story of Mystery, War, Romance, and Empire
Coffee beans came from Yemen to Istanbul, where, in 1555, two traders first sold them in the city’s heart. Turks found they could make a tasty, bitter, dark drink from the fermented coffee berry pulp, which gave energy and reduced hunger. Over time, coffee became available to everyone, not just palace sultans and dervishes.
Courting at Court: Coffee, Royalty, and Romance
Coffee was hugely popular with Turkish sultans in the Ottoman courts. Royal coffee makers, called Kahveci usta, held fancy coffee ceremonies, needing forty assistants to serve coffee properly to the sultans. Both sultans and regular Turkish men were given coffee by potential brides, who were judged as wives based on the quality of their coffee.
Adding some sugar to your marriage never hurt, right? Nowadays, before marriage, men must drink salty coffee made by the bride. Potential brides still had to make coffee for their suitors, but with a twist: sweet coffee meant she liked the match, while bitter coffee showed she wasn’t impressed. Coffee was a big part of Ottoman social and courting rituals. Wealthy families built special rooms just for drinking coffee. Women weren’t allowed to drink it—in fact, a married woman could legally divorce her husband if he didn’t provide her daily coffee quota.
As coffee got more popular, people spent less time praying and more time drinking and chatting. Coffee went from a sacred drink to being seen as trouble. Politically, coffee was viewed as a threat to the Ottoman Empire. Like in Sweden, leaders thought coffee gatherings led people to question the government and cause trouble. In 1656, Ottoman Grand Vizier Koprulu made laws to close coffee houses and ban coffee drinking completely.
Still, Turkish coffee stayed popular in Anatolia and spread to nearby countries.
Coffee: The Spoils of War
The Ottomans brought coffee to Vienna, Austria. Turkish coffee reached Europe by accident during a war. In 1683, when the Turkish army fought the Austrians, they left behind sacks of coffee beans while retreating from Vienna’s gates. The Austrians realized what a treasure they had and created their own coffee style.
Overall, the tradition of coffee continues to grow in our personal and social lives.
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