One medium please

Turkish coffees (since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 renamed Greek or Byzantine coffee) are consumed at all times of the day and the night , and no village or neighbourhood can live without at least one coffee shop (kafeneion) . The coffee shop is a man's world and it is "not done" for a woman to go and sit there , especially alone .

It takes some time to get used to this beverage which is usually short , thick and sweet !

As a Turkish coffee has many nuances you must find your way through them all until you get the one that suits your particular taste . Then , in order to enjoy it at a local coffee shop , you must also equip yourself with three Cyprus chairs ! And ... you must learn to relax .

So , take one chair to sit on , one in front of you so that its side bars make a foot - rest and its seat your coffee table , and put one at the side of you , turning it to such an angle that your left arm may rest along its back ! Now that you have found the most comfortable position , sit up straight again and clap your hands for the waiter . When he comes , order your coffee by the grade of its sweetness ; it is quite unnecessary to mention the word "coffee" . Say "Enan glyki parakalo" and your waiter knows that although you have simply asked for "A sweet one , please" you cannot mean anything other than a sweet coffee .

The coffee used is a very finely ground variety which can be bought loose or in small paper bags .

If you want to make a Turkish coffee at home you can get various sized " Imbrikia" - little coffee pots to hold from 1 to about 7 coffee cups .

Put the measured water for the numbers of coffees you want to make in the "imbriki" , then add the necessary coffee and sugar and stir . Put the pot onto the flame and let the liquid just rise to the rim , then take it off .

Serve by putting a little of the froth into each cup with a teaspoon and then carefully pour the rest of the coffee so as not to spoil that froth which is called "kaimaki" - boiled - and this you achieve by pouring the coffee from the pot into the cup from a height , or by letting it boil for a few seconds .

Do not drink the whole coffee as there is a thick sediment at the bottom of each cup . This is very useful in fortune telling .

Fortune telling is a woman's job , and I am sure that amongst all your newly acquired friends there will be one who can tell your fortune !

To have your fortune told you must turn the coffee cup upside - down . Careful now ! The best way is to put the saucer over the top of your cup and , with a swift movement , turn both cup and saucer over . That's it ! Now , let it stand for a while to dry then lift the cup and put it onto the side of the saucer and let it drain completely . Should the cup stick to the saucer it means that the one you love loves you !

You do not say "Thank you" to the person who tells your fortune , but "Oti pothite" which means "Whatever you wish" ... and the answer is "Episis" - "The same to you" .

Below I will show yow the way to make your coffee , professionally :-

 The ingredients are for ONE cup of Turkish coffee

 

Glykis

Vari glykis

Melenios

Melenios elafris

Mallon glykis

Metrios

Skettos

 

Sweet

Very sweet

Honey sweet

Light honey sweet

Rather sweet

Medium sweet

Without sugar (plain)

Coffee

1 heaped tsp .

1 fully heaped

1 + fully heaped

1 level

1 heaped

1 heaped

1 heaped

Sugar

2 tsp .

2 + tsp .

2 - 2.5 tsp .

1.5 - 2 tsp .

1 tsp .

0.5 tsp .

None

You will find that coffee is always served with a glass of water . As a matter of fact ,

anything is served with a glass of water !