) Coffee drinking spread in the Islamic world in the 16th century. From the
Hijaz it arrived in Cairo; from thence it went to Syria and Istanbul. The coffee tree was first cultivated commercially in the
Yemen, having been introduced there from the rainforests of Ethiopia For a long time For nearly a century (1538–1636), the
Ottoman Empire controlled the southern coastal region of the Yemen, notably its famous coffee port
Mocha. Cairo merchants were responsible for moving it from the Yemen to markets in the Islamic world. Hakem of Aleppo and Shems of Damascus (they may have been separate establishments at first).
Ignatius d'Ohsson described for French readers the Turkish method of brewing coffee (, 1789). His description, translated in this note, closely resembles the present day version, including the production of foam. From the traveller
Jean de Thévenot it appears Turks were using it at least a century before that. He mentions that they drank it black; some added cloves, cardamom or sugar, but it was thought to be less healthy, and until recently, an older generation of connoisseurs disdained the habit of sugaring Turkish coffee. or in Damascus (a plausible, if unsubstantiated claim, since the Middle Eastern coffeehouse did probably originate in Damascus and was brought to Istanbul by Syrians, see above A 1762 Danish expedition recorded that “northern and eastern Arabs” prepared bean coffee “in the same way as with the Turks. Yemenis may have been the first to consume coffee as a hot beverage (instead of chewing the bean, or adding it to solid food) Observations recorded by
Carsten Niebuhr during the Danish expedition to Arabia noted that the bean coffee described as commonly consumed by “northern and eastern Arabs,” and prepared “in the same way as with the Turks,” was reported to be seldom drunk in Yemen, where it was regarded as excessively stimulating, they much preferred
kisher, a beverage made of the coffee shells which more closely resembled a tea; If Turkish coffee is defined as "a very strong black coffee served with the fine grounds in it", then the method is generic in Middle Eastern cities (in rural areas a different method is used and is called Arabic coffee) though there may be some local variations.
Illegality and acceptance The English word
coffee derives from Turkish , which came from Arabic , which could mean . It is sometimes stated that coffee was forbidden in Islam, albeit the ban was not very effective. It was governments who wanted to suppress coffee gatherings, fearing they were foci of political dissent. - and, much later, the republican government of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk tried to prohibit or discourage coffeehouses in Turkish villages, saying they were places where men gathered to waste their time). Eventually the authorities found it to their advantage to tax the trade not suppress it. and prominent Ottoman Turks kept specialist coffee cooks for the purpose.
Suleiman the Magnificent had a or chief coffee-cook, and it became a traditional practice for sultans. To demonstrate the civility of their rule, they built magnificent coffeehouses in newly conquered parts of the Ottoman Empire. Other early users were
virtuosi: gentleman-scholars curious about the outside world and willing to try exotic products. Since these early adopters were trying to recreate the genuine article, probably they were making proper Turkish coffee, or at least something like it. For example, Jean de Thévenot imported authentic
ibriks from the Ottoman Empire. By the time of the French Revolution, 80% of the world's coffee was grown in the Americas and French coffee was ousting the Yemeni product in Cairo, which is not Turkish coffee. Despite this, the "Turkish" connection was strongly promoted, since its exotic connotations helped the new drink to sell. Coffeehouse keepers wore turbans, or called their shops "Turk's Head" and suchlike. Especially in France there was a craze for things Turkish: fashion plates depicted aristocratic ladies taking coffee while dressed as
sultanas, attended by servants in Moorish costume. Its medical value was stressed: it became popular in France when doctors advised
café au lait was good for the health. conceivably he prepared it in the Turkish manner. Already by 1683
William Penn was complaining about the price of coffee in Pennsylvania. By 2018 there were said to be over 400
Starbucks stores in Istanbul alone, and younger Turks were embracing
third-wave coffee. The most popular brand in Turkey is
Nescafé. However,
UNESCO has inscribed Turkish coffee culture and tradition on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and "there still exist serious aficionados who would never trade the taste of Turkish coffee with anything else". ==Culture==